Nina Jobst
Research expert covering South Korea
Meal kits in South Korea - Statistics & Facts
Eating dinner conveniently without sacrificing a nutritional balance and the feeling of homemade cooking is not always easy. For some, the solution to this problem is meal kits, also called recipe boxes. A meal kit is generally a subscription-based food service that delivers pre-measured and partly prepared ingredients needed for a recipe of choice. Customers can choose from a variety of easy-to-follow recipes according to their dietary needs and preferences. The market for meal kits has grown considerably in South Korea during the last years and is forecast to increase further.
Meal kit market in South Korea
During the COVID-19 pandemic and its entailed social distancing regulations, meal kitsgained so much popularity, that they secured third place among the most often purchased convenience foods in 2021. After thus attracting new customers, meal kits have become commonplace now. The domestic meal kit provider Fresh Easy led the South Korean meal kit market. The company’s differentiating factor to its competitor is to collaborate with famous restaurants and commercialize their meals into home-cooked meal kits. Fresh Easy has contracts with overseas suppliers, and in 2022, it acquired the business Tasty9, to secure its leading position in the market. Although MyChef was the first meal kit brand launched in South Korea, it could not yet catch up with the market leader. In 2022, it was acquired by Korean Air Catering & Duty-Free.What is important for South Korean meal kit users?
In the South Korean market, Korean cuisine was the most popular option. Especially popular menus were Korean soup and stew dishes. Convenience is one of the significant advantages of meal kits. Koreans have a high standard for convenience in everyday life, and meal kits are no exception. The adjustable portion sizes, the variety of recipes, the ease of use, the little amount of time needed for preparation, and the fast delivery times all meet such expectations. Still, only around 17.6 percent of respondents in a survey in 2023 were subscribed to meal kit services. Points of discontentment with the product included the high price and the use of single-use items. While the interest in meal kits is unlikely to cease soon, other food trends such as meal-prepping and self-made meal kits gained popularity.
