South Koreans take to salads in their droves
- Markets
- Produce
- Convenience
- Lettuce
- Asia
- South Korea
- Salady
- SPC Group
- Consumer behaviour
- Consumption
- Fresh produce sales
South Koreans have taken to buying more salads since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to results of a survey conducted by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, 20% of consumers have upped their consumption in the past year, with many turning to salads as main meals.
The increased demand has been seized upon by savvy restaurants, with salad specialists such as SPC Group’s Pig in the Garden reporting 68% higher sales from January to July 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.
Likewise, the Salady restaurant chain is going from strength to strength, opening over 90 new stores in 2021 alone.
According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) the market for fruits and salads has been trending upward. In 2020 it reached US$968 million, up 21% from 2019.