FAS/Seoul Monitoring of Media Reporting on Agricultural Issues 

Today's Date: Friday, June 28,  2024

For Coverage:  June 21 ~ 27, 2024

Olympics' First Korean Beer Sponsor

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-06-26/business/industry/Cass-becomes-Olympics-first-Korean-beer-sponsor-with-Paris-Games/2077351 
Summary:  Oriental Brewery's Cass beer has secured a sponsorship as the first Korean alcohol brand partnering with the Olympics for the upcoming 2024 Paris Games, which are set to begin next month.  This collaboration follows Anheuser-Busch InBev's global sponsorship deal with the Olympics through 2028.  Cass will feature special Olympic-themed packaging for its Cass Fresh and Cass Zero products.  The brand's extensive marketing campaign includes television and online commercials featuring athletes, limited-edition merchandise, and digital promotions with social media influencers.  Cass aims to leverage this partnership to bolster its global and domestic market presence, showcasing innovations like AI-generated personalized videos and introducing non-alcoholic options to cater to a diverse range of consumer preferences. 

Bibigo Enters into Large Distribution Channels in Western Europe
https://www.foodnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=108651 

Summary:  CJ CheilJedang is pushing forward the expansion of its global K-food brand 'bibigo' in Western Europe by entering major distribution channels.  Recently, the company launched a 'bibigo store' on Amazon Germany, offering 19 varieties of products including seaweed snacks, K-sauce, dumplings, and chicken, marking the first introduction of seaweed snacks in this market.  Since acquiring Mainfrost - German frozen food company - in 2018, CJ has steadily increased its presence, securing placements in prominent supermarkets like Edeka, Globus, and REWE in Germany, where bibigo now holds a significant share of the dumpling market.  In the Netherlands, it has expanded into supermarkets such as Albert Heijn, Jumbo, and Hoogvliet, and in Belgium, bibigo products are available at Delhaize and Carrefour.  Looking ahead, CJ CheilJedang aims to accelerate its penetration of large-scale distribution channels across new Western European countries this year, supported by strategic partnerships and local market adaptations. 
 

More Demand for 'Ugly' Produce
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/biz/2024/06/602_377296.html 
Summary:  Due to soaring prices and supply shortages of fresh produce, imperfect fruits and vegetables - typically discarded due to cosmetic flaws - are now selling rapidly.  These items, often rejected for blemishes, discoloration, or irregular sizes, saw a 235 percent increase in sales during the first quarter of this year compared to the previous year, according to NS Shopping.  Despite their appearance, these fruits and vegetables are valued for their taste and nutrition and are priced around 20 to 30 percent lower than their standard counterparts.  This surge in demand comes amid significant price hikes in fresh produce, such as an 80.4 percent increase in apple prices and a 126.3 percent rise in pear prices year-on-year in May.  Experts advocate for promoting sales of imperfect produce not only to mitigate high prices but also to reduce food waste, which currently amounts to approximately 5 trillion won annually due to cosmetic imperfections. 

Development of 'Super Varieties'
https://www.chosun.com/english/industry-en/2024/06/24/BU4XUDOIJRGG7PR62B2FXSNPWA 
Summary:  Orion's Agro Team achieved a significant milestone earlier this year with the development of a new potato variety named "Jeonggam," following a decade of research involving 450 potato genes and 500,000 combinations.  This breakthrough is crucial for South Korean snack maker Orion, as Jeonggam potatoes will enhance products like Pocachip and Swingchip, marking the first ingredient update since the introduction of the "Dubaek" variety in 2000.  Orion's focus on new potato varieties was driven by climate change, which significantly impacted domestic potato production due to extreme heat and erratic weather patterns.  This shift reflects broader efforts in the food industry and agricultural research to develop climate-resistant crop varieties amidst increasing environmental challenges affecting crops like coffee, peanuts, and ginseng. 

Zero-sugar Craze Sweeps Food and Beverage Industry
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/culture/2024/06/199_376420.html 
Summary:  As people increasingly seek healthier dietary options, sugar substitutes have become the new key trend in the food and beverage industry, with companies introducing a variety of zero-sugar products ranging from soft drinks and alcoholic beverages to desserts.  According to the Food Information Statistics System of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the size of the domestic beverage market has been steadily growing at an average rate of over 5 percent every year since 2018, reaching 10.32 trillion won ($7.49 million) in 2022, which is a 7.6 percent increase from the previous year.  Among these, the zero-sugar carbonated beverage market size grew from 92.4 billion won in 2020 to 368.3 billion won in 2022.  The local convenience store chain GS25 revealed that zero-sugar beverages accounted for over 52 percent of total carbonated beverage sales from January to April of this year.