[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Recently, ‘Meokping’ (camping while eating and drinking) has emerged as a new trend in the distribution industry, leading to diversification in camping food options.
According to an analysis by data tech company Wider Planet on the 16th, advertising expenses for hiking and camping goods shopping malls in the first quarter of this year increased by a staggering 2141% compared to the same period last year. This figure is even higher than that of the first quarter of 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19. Wider Planet interpreted this as the outdoor leisure industry gaining popularity during the pandemic period when overseas travel was impossible, driving growth in related industries.
The food and dining industry is targeting 7 million campers by promoting convenient meals that have grown in size since COVID-19, ahead of the upcoming holiday season. Camping convenience foods not only reduce volume for easy portability but also have a charm like a flavor enhancer that upgrades the taste of food, leading to rapidly increasing demand, especially among younger generations.
School Food targeted family campers with children by promoting their addictive ‘mayo sauce.’ The mayo sauce, which was served as a side with School Food’s signature menu ‘Mari,’ was launched as a private brand product thanks to fan consumer requests. It is used to make rice balls, enhancing umami flavor, or to upgrade the taste of canap?s, which are perfect as wine snacks. It also pairs well with dried snacks like squid or jupo (dried filefish), which are essential for camping, making it highly versatile.
One of the attractions of HMR (Home Meal Replacement) is that it allows you to enjoy Meokping conveniently without hassle. Pulmuone Foods launched ‘Bandeutan Sik’ last year, releasing a total of 10 types of soups, stews, and hot pots such as ‘Galbi Yukgaejang’ and ‘Healthy Budae Jjigae,’ which can be easily enjoyed by just pouring into a container, offering rich broth and generous ingredients. These products also pay attention to consumers’ health by reducing sodium content by more than 25% compared to similar foods (except for the wild ginseng cultured chicken soup).
Pulmuone Foods announced that the cumulative sales of the soup, stew, and hot pot category products, including the 10 types of Bandeutan Sik and the ‘Cooking Broth’ launched around the same time, surpassed 200 units within six months. The ‘Cooking Broth’ is manufactured in a pack format, allowing easy preparation of various broth dishes during camping without the need to add water or seasoning separately, and can also be used as home-cooked meals after camping.
Delicacies such as grilled dishes, hot pots, and stir-fries, which are usually cumbersome to prepare from scratch, can also be enjoyed elegantly as convenience foods. Cheongjeongwon’s ‘Homings’ offers HMR products like ‘Gisa Sikdang Dwaeji Bulgbaek’ (Driver’s Restaurant Pork Bulgogi), ‘Barbecue Jjokgalbi’ (Barbecue Short Ribs), ‘Busan-style Gopchang Jeongol’ (Beef Intestine Hot Pot), and ‘Nakgopsae Jeongol’ (Octopus, Beef Tripe, and Shrimp Hot Pot), with all necessary ingredients pre-prepared, allowing cooking completion within 10 minutes without adding extra ingredients or seasonings.
In particular, Gisa Sikdang Dwaeji Bulgbaek faithfully reproduces the taste of the restaurant popular among drivers, featuring the flavor of pork grilled over direct fire. The Barbecue Jjokgalbi is characterized by its clean taste, marinated with direct fire smoky sauce, rosemary, garlic, and other spices to enhance the meat aroma.
A food and dining industry official said, “Camping convenience foods, which have grown since COVID-19, are expected to maintain their popularity as the Meokping trend forms recently. It is anticipated that various recipes adding personal preferences to convenience foods will increase beyond existing dishes, and launches of convenience foods targeting campers will become more active.”
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