'Sighing Over High Prices'... "How About Meal Kits This Holiday?"

Seol Table Setting Costs 254,300 Won
Increasing Trend of Choosing Ready Meals Over Ingredient Shopping
Large Mart Holds Seol Promotion

A customer is looking at meal kit products at an Emart24 store.
Photo by Yonhap News

The landscape of Seol holiday tables is changing amid ongoing high inflation. The traditional culture of making holiday dishes with directly purchased ingredients is shifting towards buying meal kits and other ready-to-eat meals (HMR). Large supermarkets are responding to this consumer trend by trying to capture the demand for 'convenient holiday meal tables.'

According to the Korea Price Association on the 20th, the amount needed to prepare a Seol holiday table based on this year's prices was surveyed at 254,300 won. This is a 5.7% increase compared to last year (240,660 won). By item, the prices were ▲pork (21,850 won) ▲chicken (22,320 won) ▲apple (15,940 won) ▲pear (18,130 won) ▲dried persimmon (10,130 won). Notably, the price of flour this year was 5,490 won, rising 41.9% compared to last year, showing the highest increase rate among all items. Spinach (3,190 won) also rose about 40.5%, recording the second highest increase rate.

Given this situation, consumers ahead of the holiday are showing a tendency to fill their holiday tables with convenient meals. Ready-to-eat meals are processed and packaged in a cooked state, allowing fresh food to be enjoyed with simple preparation. The advantage is that it is convenient as there is no need to cook directly, and it can reduce the cost of purchasing ingredients.

In fact, Emart's sales survey of 'Peacock' ready-to-eat meals for ancestral rites during last year's Chuseok showed a 22% increase compared to the previous Chuseok. Additionally, Lotte Mart's survey of ready-to-eat meal sales during the week of last year's Seol holiday showed a 70% increase compared to the previous week. This suggests high demand for ready-to-eat meals during the holiday period.

In line with this consumer trend, large supermarkets are also actively trying to capture demand. They plan to attract consumers with various promotions. Emart is offering a 5,000 won gift certificate to those who purchase more than 25,000 won worth of Peacock ready-to-eat ancestral rite products until February 1. During the same period, a 20% discount is provided to those who purchase 11 types of Peacock soups and stews for ancestral rites.

Lotte Mart plans to showcase various foods such as frozen pollack pancakes, squid seafood balls, and Donggeurangttaeng through its home meal replacement brand 'Yorihada' until the 25th of this month. They have also prepared instant cooking foods suitable for the holiday, such as shrimp tempura and traditional japchae. Traditional japchae is sold at 1,480 won per 100g, and assorted pancakes and assorted vegetables are sold at 3,900 won per 100g until the 21st.

Homeplus is also offering ready-to-eat meals such as rice cake soup rice cakes and frozen jeon varieties at a 10% discount to My Homeplus membership members until the 25th. Membership members can also purchase various jeon varieties at a 10% discounted price.

An official from the distribution industry said, "The perception that values simplicity and convenience has spread, and due to ongoing high inflation, the number of consumers seeking ready-to-eat meals has increased," adding, "We expect the number of consumers looking for ready-to-eat meals to increase not only during holidays but also in everyday life."