Net zero in food industry in the making

Corporations and government are making a leap towards sustainable consumption as more consumers become aware of ethical spending. gettyimagesbank

Retailers unveil sustainable food, packaging to woo ethical consumers

By Lee Gyu-lee

"You are what you eat." This proverbial saying has never been truer than recently, given the COVID-19 pandemic, which has entered its second year, is propelling people to mull ways to stay healthy and avoid infections.

With health and wellness becoming two of the top concerns for people around the world, people are increasingly wary of their health and nutrient intake in their daily lives. And as people have become aware of the importance of what they eat to stay healthy amid the pandemic, they are paying keen attention to "how" the food they're eating was brought to the table.

Ethical consumption has gathered buzz among concerned consumers. When purchasing produce, they think of the environmental, societal and political impacts of their shopping choices. Shoppers have found alignment with the "meaning-out" hashtag campaign here. The Konglish "cause marketing" term is a combination of the English words "meaning" (better interpreted as "principles") and "coming out" (better interpreted as "coming to the fore").

The changing consumption pattern among consumers has forced corporations to release sustainable food and beverages, while the government attempts to create a framework.

Sustainable dietary practices might sound still vague as its definition is still in the making. But, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations defines the term as a diet with "low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations."

A Flower Blossom on the Rice has been selected as Green Star restaurant by Michelin Guide Seoul, this year, for its sustainable gastronomy practices. Courtesy of Michelin Korea

And in a broader perspective, sustainability can also be implemented in the food system as a whole to deliver humans their dietary needs without compromising the economic, social, and environmental bases of the future.

The FAO addresses the necessity of such a food system in the current context of "rapid population growth, urbanization, growing wealth, changing consumption patterns, and globalization as well as climate change and the depletion of natural resources."

Administrative approach

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) have initiated a series of dialogues, from March to May, with producers, consumers, and experts to exchange ideas about governance approach and sustainable food systems.

"Three main discussions are on the table. They are food security in general, environmentally friendly and sustainable consumption, and making healthy, affordable food accessible to underprivileged, low-income households," Kim Kyung-eun, senior deputy director of the ministry's General Division of International Cooperation, told The Korea Times.

The national dialogue comes in preparation for the United Nation Food Systems Summit, scheduled to be held in September. Kim explained that the ministry plans to develop a framework of national food plan and sustainable policy based on the dialogues and present them during the summit.

"Until recently, most of the discussions focused on production and supply, such as ways to make agricultural productions carbon neutral. But the difference, this time, is that consumers' perspectives were taken in for more inclusive discussions, for example, suggesting the need for properly educating consumers about eco-friendly agricultural products and movements," Kim said.

Corporates making changes

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Pulmuone's vegan noodle product / Courtesy of Pulmuone

Food retailers are jumping in to the sustainable diet market, releasing plant-based products or menus to their brands.

Shinsegae Food's No Brand Burger, a fast-food chain, added a vegan option to their menu with British firm Quorn's meatless chicken nuggets, made from fungal protein.

Samyang Foods, known for its instant ramen noodles, launched a vegan ramen product, which completely eliminated any meat-based ingredients previously added to powder or flakes.

Food manufacturing company Pulmuone formed a specialized division Plant Protein Meal and revealed it will launch various plant-derived products by 2023, including some 20 vegan products by this year. It has already introduced tofu-based sausages and vegan ramen noodles, as well as vegan yogurt, made of coconut instead of milk.

The corporations are not only introducing new products but also paying attention to how their products are brought to consumers, such as eco-friendly packaging, especially with the recent wave of ESG ― environmental, social and corporate governance ― management trend in Korea.

Starbucks and CJ CheilJedang have also adopted biodegradable product packaging as a substitute for plastic packaging. CJ's new packaging on its tofu product line is projected to reduce plastic waste by 50 tons every year, according to the company.

CJ CheilJedang's tofu products that will substitute existing plastic packaging for biodegradable packaging / Courtesy of CJ CheilJedang

In light of the growing dining trend, French company Michelin included a new distinction ― the Green Star ― on this year's Michelin Guide Seoul to highlight restaurants that offer sustainable dining.

"This Michelin Green Star is a brand new distinction to shed light on the efforts of those at the forefront with their sustainable gastronomy practices and plays the role in bringing their vision to everyone," Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said during the online event to unveil the Michelin-starred restaurant list, last November.

Two restaurants, A Flower Blossom on the Rice in Insa-dong and Hwanggeum Kongbat in Ahyeon-dong, were selected.

Run by restaurateur Song Jeong-eun, A Flower Blossom on the Rice provides dishes mostly made with certified organic ingredients ― 95 percent ― straight from the farm, such as eggs from antibiotic- and cage-free chickens in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, and organic rice from Bongha Village in North Gyeongsang Province.

Hwanggeum Kongbat, which is translated as "golden bean field," specializes in bean curd, freshly made from scratch every morning with beans directly delivered from Sobaek Mountains.

Upon receiving the star, the restaurant's owner chef Yoon Tae-hyeon said, "to serve dishes imbued with the ultimate in freshness, tofu and kimchi are prepared daily … the leftover pureed soybean from making tofu is meticulously collected and sent to farms to be used as fodder."

Dishes from Hwanggeum Kongbat / Courtesy of Michelin Korea

Food tech startups

With the growing interest and demand for responsible consumption, more people, and corporations, began eyeing the emergence of food tech startups. According to FoodTech Association, the food tech market in the country is estimated to value about 20 trillion won ($178 billion).

Lotte Accelerator, Lotte Group subsidiary designed to invest in seed-stage startups, has launched a program "The Food Changer" in an attempt to discover innovative startups in the food business. It will select up-and-coming businesses that focus on one of four areas: future food technology, medicinal food, sustainable alternative ingredients, and packaging.

Alternative ingredients food tech startups such as The PlantEat, which makes plant-based mayonnaise and milk, and Devotionfoods, which makes plant-based meat, have successfully procured investment rounds from venture capitals.