Shinsegae Food Growing 'Better Meat'... Leading Domestic and International Alternative Meat Markets

Shinsegae Food Expands 'Better Meat' Brand in Full Swing
CEO Song Hyun-seok: "We Will Create Better Food in a Better World"
Developing Various Alternative Foods Beyond Alternative Meat
New Product 'Better Meat Plant-Based Luncheon' Canned Ham Also Released

On the 28th, at Devils Door in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Song Hyun-seok, CEO of Shinsegae Food, introduced the 'Better Meat Plant-Based Luncheon' canned ham, which replicates the taste and texture of animal-processed meat cans using 100% plant-based ingredients such as soy protein and dietary fiber. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Shinsegae Food has announced its goal to expand the application of its alternative meat brand ‘Better meat’?launched last year?across various business sectors and to focus on nurturing the domestic and international alternative meat markets. They also introduced a new product: a 100% plant-based canned ham.

On the morning of the 28th, Shinsegae Food held a launch and vision briefing for the new Better meat products at the Devil’s Door Central City branch in Seocho-gu, Seoul, revealing these plans.

Shinsegae Food plans to expand the use of Better meat across its business areas, including food manufacturing, dining out, and catering, to widely promote the social value of alternative meat to consumers. Song Hyun-seok, CEO of Shinsegae Food and the presenter at the briefing, stated, “If we continue to neglect factory farming and the production of products using food additives just to consume meat, significant challenges will arise concerning human health, animal welfare, and the global environment. Therefore, we plan to promote Better meat not merely as a typical meat substitute but as an alternative meat that realizes social value, and to foster the alternative food market.” He added, “While most food companies use the term ‘alternative meat,’ we propose using the term ‘alternative meat’ to mean eating less meat and having a substitute option.”

CEO Song said, “Processed meats contain food additives such as sodium nitrite, raising ongoing health concerns, and meat produced from livestock raised in factory farming also negatively impacts human health. Since Better meat is made from plant-based ingredients, it reduces factory farming and slaughter, contributes to animal welfare, and significantly lowers greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock farming.”

To address these social issues, Shinsegae Food plans to actively use Better meat instead of traditional animal-based processed meat production methods when making processed foods in the future. Recently, Shinsegae Food has also begun developing products to replace processed meats such as ham and bacon used in its convenient meal brand ‘Olban’ with Better meat.

Better meat will also be widely used in other business areas such as catering and dining out. To this end, Shinsegae Food is developing new menu items like sandwiches and salads in collaboration with renowned chefs. These menus will be prominently introduced starting in the second half of the year through alternative meat catering campaigns like ‘Better Day,’ which partners with organizations committed to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) practices, as well as dining brands such as ‘No Brand Burger.’

Shinsegae Food also unveiled its new product, the ‘Better meat Plant-based Luncheon’ canned ham. This canned ham is made from 100% plant-based ingredients such as soy protein and dietary fiber. It features proprietary technology that maximizes taste and texture to closely resemble meat, allowing consumers to enjoy it without concerns about animal fats, cholesterol, or sodium nitrite.

Shinsegae Food is making a full-scale entry into the B2C (business-to-consumer) market by selling the new product starting next month at ‘The Better,’ Korea’s first plant-based meat deli, which recently opened in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Moving forward, the company plans to expand product sales by partnering with F&B and distribution companies that share the social values of Better meat, while also nurturing the domestic and international alternative meat markets through consumer campaigns such as the ‘Better Life Society.’ To advance the Better meat business, Shinsegae Food will establish a specialized alternative meat subsidiary, ‘Better Foods Inc.,’ in the United States next month. Through Better Foods, the company aims to proactively adopt advanced R&D technologies from the largest alternative meat market in the U.S. and focus on building local production infrastructure for future global market expansion. In particular, various online and offline sales channels will be developed starting in North America to target the global alternative meat market.

CEO Song emphasized, “Unlike when Tesla first introduced electric vehicles, now most car companies produce electric cars, contributing to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and creating a sustainable global environment. We hope that the major shift to alternative meat and alternative foods triggered by Better meat will spread throughout domestic and international food markets, allowing us all to contribute to human health, animal welfare, and the global environment.”