More cheese please in South Korea

Headnote

Maeil Dairies has launched new products as consumption shows rapid growth, David Hayes reports

Cheese consumption has seen rapid growth over the past two years as more people add cheese to Korean dishes and try out the new fashion of eating cheese with wine. Originally introduced with western food such as pizza, pasta and hamburgers, cheese recently has gained in popularity with more South Koreans combining it with traditional recipes, or using melted cheese as a dip for popular meat dishes.

According to government figures, some 124,700 metric tons (mt) of cheese was consumed in South Korea in 2016, registering a 20 per cent increase, compared with 104,000mt consumed during the previous year.

Sales of processed cheese reached US$161 million (€138.8m) in 2016, while unprocessed cheese sales last year were worth $147 million (€126.8m).

Soft cheese consumption including string cheese is growing due its convenience and use as a snack; at the same time the popularity of pizzas is driving demand for fresh mozzarella.

Grilled cheese

Among recent trends, ricotta, brie and various types of natural cheese that can be eaten grilled have become popular in South Korea. The grilled types are popular where table top barbecue stoves are used in restaurants.

Sliced cheese accounts for almost one third of South Korea's cheese market by value, official figures show, followed by pizza cheese, which represents over 20 per cent of the cheese market's total value.

Snack-type cheese occupies a further 15 per cent share of total cheese sales, ahead of cheese slices for young infants, which represent about 12 per cent of the country's cheese consumption. Other cheese categories consumed include natural cheese with a six per cent share of current cheese sales.

The growing popularity of cheese among most age groups is encouraging South Korea's leading cheese makers to develop new products and extend their existing lines.

Recently introduced processed cheese products aimed at adults include cheeses for serving with instant noodles, for adding to rice with garlic and interestingly, a black sliced cheese made with squid ink.

Updating the range

Maeil Dairies, a leading supplier of...