"Costs Less Than 100,000 Won"... Popularity of Simple New Year's Ancestral Food Sets

Simplification of Holiday Ancestral Rites Culture
Emart Sees 22% Increase in Ready Meal Sales
Table Setting Possible Under 100,000 Won

Recently, as the traditional holiday ancestral rites culture has become simplified and the trend of taking rest instead of doing housework has taken hold, more people are seeking convenient ritual food products. These products are convenient because they only need to be heated in a microwave or air fryer, or lightly pan-fried, and they are much cheaper than preparing the food yourself.

According to Emart on the 13th, sales of Peacock ritual food convenience meals during the two weeks before last year's Chuseok increased by 22% compared to the previous year, and sales of ready-to-eat foods (deli) increased by 7.1% during the one week before the holiday. During the same period, Lotte Mart saw a 35% increase in sales of cooking-related ritual food convenience meals and a 20% increase in deli sales. Homeplus experienced a 27% jump in sales of Signature ritual food convenience meals.

Using convenience meals and deli products from large supermarkets, you can set a table for under 100,000 won. For example, purchasing one each of five products at Emart ? Peacock Korean beef bone broth (4,784 won), Peacock rice cake soup rice cakes (4,480 won), Peacock Soonhee’s Bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes) (8,980 won), Peacock Deokin-gwan beef short rib patties (10,980 won), and Peacock Five-color festive japchae (8,480 won) ? costs 37,704 won. Buying six types of holiday seasoned vegetables (9,980 won), mung bean pancakes (3,980 won), meatball pancakes (10 pieces, 4,356 won), pollack pancakes (10 pieces, 16,900 won), and five-color skewer pancakes (10 pieces, 23,660 won) from the deli corner costs 58,876 won. Altogether, 96,580 won allows you to enjoy a variety of traditional holiday dishes.

Lotte Mart sells products such as pollack pancakes, squid seafood meatballs, traditional Korean japchae, honeycomb pork ribs, and Jangchung-dong tobacco-style boiled pork. Homeplus offers Signature seafood meatballs, traditional grilled short ribs, neobiani (grilled marinated beef), pollack pancakes, five-flavor skewers, and perilla leaf pancakes.

The simplification of holiday ancestral rites tables and the use of convenience foods have become mainstream. When Incruit surveyed 828 members about preparing food for the Lunar New Year holiday, 66.7% responded that they would simplify the preparations. This was followed by 28.7% who said they would make all the ritual foods themselves, and 4.6% who said they would not perform the rites at all. Many also planned to use convenience foods and meal kits. 46.7% of respondents said they would make some dishes themselves while also using convenience foods and meal kits, and 9.6% said they would prepare the table using only convenience foods or meal kits.

Large supermarkets have launched holiday food discount events to target demand. Emart is offering a 20% discount on 11 types of Peacock ritual soups and stews until the 1st of next month, and customers who purchase over 25,000 won will receive a 5,000 won gift certificate. Lotte Mart offers a 20% discount when purchasing two or more of cooking-related honeycomb pork ribs, thin-skinned meat king dumplings, and king mandu dumplings. Homeplus offers a 10% discount on rice cake soup rice cakes and frozen jeon (Korean pancakes) to My Homeplus membership customers.

A representative from a large supermarket said, "Since this Lunar New Year holiday comes during difficult economic times, customers are more interested in frugal consumption than ever before. Using convenience meal products allows you to enjoy both convenience and savings."