South Korea food imports 2020: Wines and processed fruit top list as beer and kimchi take COVID-19 hit

Published 2021년 3월 16일

Tridge summary

In 2020, South Korea continued to import a substantial volume of food and beverage products, focusing on those with health benefits, as reported by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The country saw a significant increase in the import of processed fruits and vegetables, particularly tart cherries, pomegranate, and carrots, and a surge in wine imports. However, there was a notable decline in imported beers, once the top import, due to a national boycott of Japanese products and the pandemic's impact. Imported kimchi, frequently used in Chinese restaurants in Korea, also experienced a drop due to COVID-19 lockdowns. The ongoing boycott, contributing to the decrease in Japanese beer sales, remains a challenge for the sector.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

According to data from the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), South Korea continued to import vast amounts of food and beverage products to maintain food security in 2020 despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, but there was an uptick in foods linked to health and wellness benefits. “The food items that were most imported into South Korea in 2020 were processed fruits and vegetable products, which rose by almost 6,000 tons to hit 281,222 tons this year compared to 275,424 tons in 2019,” MFDS Minister Kim Gang-lip said in a formal statement. “These imports were ranked third last year out of all imports, but this sudden increase has raised it to become the top import in 2020. We believe that the main reason for this was a rise in the public’s interest in health and wellbeing last year. “This was translated to an increase in fruit and vegetable concentrates [believed to be good for health] – this was particularly so for tart cherries which saw ...

Source: Food Navigator Asia