Pulmuone Launches 'Jigu Sikdan'... "Full-Scale Future Food Business Including Plant-Based Meat Alternatives"

A Specialized Brand for 'Sustainable Food' Promoting Environmental and Value-Based Consumption

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Pulmuone announced on the 18th that it has newly launched the sustainable food specialty brand ‘Jigu Sikdan’ (Earth Diet) to actively foster sustainable foods, focusing on plant-based foods and animal welfare foods as future growth engines, and has officially embarked on the future food business through innovative product development such as plant-based alternative meat.

Pulmuone Jigu Sikdan is a sustainable food specialty brand that proposes a sustainable food culture considering both personal health and the global environment, centered on plant-based foods and animal welfare foods. Jigu Sikdan consists of two sub-brands: ‘Plant-based Jigu Sikdan’ and ‘Animal Welfare Jigu Sikdan.’

The plant-based food brand, Plant-based Jigu Sikdan, is a brand that introduces products made solely from plant-based ingredients, enhancing taste and texture by applying the minimum additive principle along with Pulmuone’s know-how and patented technology. Animal Welfare Jigu Sikdan, based on products using animal welfare-certified ingredients, is a food brand that implements healthy flavors by adhering to the minimum additive principle and strict animal welfare standards.

This second half of the year, Pulmuone plans to introduce various plant-based and animal welfare products under the Jigu Sikdan brand, aiming to expand the brand and raise consumer awareness. First, Plant-based Jigu Sikdan will present a variety of products divided into categories such as animal-based alternative foods made solely from plant-based ingredients, plant-based protein-enhanced foods, and plant-based convenience foods.

The core product group among these is animal-based alternative foods that can reduce meat consumption, and Pulmuone will introduce various plant-based alternative meat products in this lineup. Pulmuone plans to launch plant-based alternative meat products that replicate the taste and texture similar to real meat by processing ‘plant-based textured protein (TVP)’ extracted from soybeans using Pulmuone’s technology.

To this end, Pulmuone signed business agreements last December with two companies: IFF Korea, a global leader in food and beverage ingredient development, and Ingredion Korea Ltd., a global food ingredient specialist, and is dedicating efforts to research on plant-based textured protein (TVP) for the development of high-quality plant-based alternative meat.

Unlike American-style alternative meat products mainly consisting of patties and sausages, Pulmuone’s plant-based alternative meat products will focus on ‘Charcoal-grilled Bulgogi’ with a charcoal flavor favored by Koreans, along with various alternative meat products such as plant-based gangjeong (sweet crispy chicken) and plant-based ham to be launched within the year. Additionally, the previously released tofu tenders, which have secured a fan base, have been renewed by changing the ingredients to 100% plant-based while maintaining the crispy texture and taste. As a ‘plant-based protein-enhanced food,’ the existing hit product, tofu noodles, has been renewed and launched under the Plant-based Jigu Sikdan brand, targeting high-protein intake or reduced carbohydrate consumption.

In the ‘plant-based convenience food’ category, Pulmuone plans to expand plant-based dumplings, fried rice, jajangmyeon (black bean noodles), and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), all made solely from plant-based ingredients, across all channels. Along with this, Pulmuone also plans to introduce meal kit products, recently launched as a new business embodying the value of clean eating, under the Jigu Sikdan brand using 100% plant-based ingredients.

Animal Welfare Jigu Sikdan plans to lead animal welfare practices by expanding products made with ingredients that comply with strict animal welfare standards. To this end, new chicken products and chicken breast products using domestically produced chicken certified for animal welfare will be introduced.

A Pulmuone Foods official stated, “Going forward, we will secure competitiveness in the domestic market by promoting the Jigu Sikdan brand and accelerate lineup expansion targeting the global sustainable food market through continuous research and development.”