[Rediscovering Food Waste]⑧Emerging K-Food Upcycling... Waste Disposal Regulations Hold Back Progress

The First Food Upcycling Company is Reharvest
CJ CheilJedang, Samsung Welstory, OB Beer Join
"Market Must Open with Deregulation and Control Tower Established"

The domestic food upcycling market is currently in its early stages. While the consumption of imperfect agricultural products, a one-dimensional form of food upcycling, is spreading, companies aiming to utilize by-products from food processing are gradually emerging. However, there are calls for policy support as food upcycling products still carry the negative perception of being 'food waste,' and animal and plant residues from food processing are regulated as waste by the Ministry of Environment.

Domestic food upcycling startup Reharvest's liner powder made from beer lees and other materials

K-Food Upcycling Emerging After Reharvest

The first food upcycling company in Korea is Reharvest, established in 2019. Reharvest produces an alternative flour called 'Renergy Powder' made from brewers' spent grain, a by-product of beer production. The brewers' spent grain undergoes washing → dehydration → drying → grinding → foreign substance and bacteria inspection before being turned into Renergy Powder. Compared to wheat flour, it contains 20 times more dietary fiber and 2.4 times more protein, making it a raw material used in various products such as bread, cookies, and energy bars. Renergy Powder was also the first in Asia to receive certification from the U.S. Upcycled Food Association (UFA).

Min Young-jun, CEO of Reharvest, said, "The overflowing food by-products are remnants of industrialization that did not exist in the past," adding, "Humans can solve this problem through upcycling, which transforms zero-value by-products that were discarded into high value-added products."

After Reharvest pioneered the market, large corporations such as CJ CheilJedang, Samsung Welstory, and OB Beer have also entered the food upcycling field. CJ CheilJedang launched the 'Exycle Crispy Chip' in 2022 through its in-house venture InnoBack. This snack contains 30% food by-products such as broken rice grains and soybean pulp leftover from making Hetbahn (ready-to-eat rice). It is currently sold domestically at CJ The Market, Olive Young, and convenience stores. Since December last year, it has expanded its global distribution channels, entering markets in the U.S., Malaysia, Hong Kong, and recently launching at Costco Australia.

CJ CheilJedang Launches Excicle Crispy Chips Made from Broken Rice and Tofu Pulp

Samsung Welstory created the food upcycling brand 'B(Y)omi' last year and introduced a total of 37 products, including granola and protein bars containing tofu pulp. A Samsung Welstory representative said, "In addition to snacks and juice-type products that are easy to enjoy, we plan to develop group meal products that can be served as main dishes and side dishes."

OB Beer is also collaborating with Reharvest to produce Renergy Powder from brewers' spent grain left after brewing beer and is manufacturing and selling various foods based on this, such as the energy bar 'Renergy Bar.' Recently, they held a 'Low-Carbon ECO One-Meal Brewers' Spent Grain Cooking Class' for employees, where participants made foods like pizza and kimchi pancakes using Renergy Powder.

An OB Beer representative said, "As a leading company in sustainable management, OB Beer aims to widely promote brewers' spent grain upcycling as an eco-friendly business that reduces carbon footprints," adding, "We will continue to introduce various programs to spread a culture of carbon reduction."

In addition, Lotte Central Research Institute and Ottogi are conducting research to reduce their own food waste. However, low awareness and negative perceptions of using by-products are hindering market growth.

Nevertheless, Korea is evaluated to have great potential in food upcycling. With the recent global popularity of K-Food, the domestic food processing industry is growing in scale day by day. Accordingly, waste is gradually increasing. However, due to Korea's limited land area, there is a shortage of space to process this waste. This creates conditions where food upcycling inevitably must develop.

"Ministry of Environment Waste Regulations That Make By-product Utilization Difficult Must Be Relaxed"

Experts believe that policy support is necessary to accelerate the activation of the food upcycling market. Above all, they argue that waste regulations blocking market entry must be eased. Currently, animal and plant residues from food processing are regulated as waste by the Ministry of Environment, making it difficult to utilize them as resources. Waste is not recognized as food, so it cannot be used as raw material for food upcycling.

CEO Min pointed out, "Some waste certified as circular resources can be reprocessed outside regulations, but the standards for storage, delivery, and cleanliness for certification are very strict, making it difficult to secure raw materials that can realize 'economies of scale.'"

There are also calls for a control tower to support food upcycling. A food industry insider who requested anonymity said, "The growth of the domestic food upcycling market will begin when the government acknowledges that it has failed in food waste reduction policies so far and that many usable materials exist among the waste discarded until now," adding, "Currently, there is no willingness among related agencies such as the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to take responsibility, and there is no control tower to oversee policies, so awareness raising is limited."

It is encouraging that the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs selected food upcycling as one of the 'Top 10 Food Tech Core Technologies' in 2022 and began supporting it. In 2026, a research support center to assist in the development and commercialization of food upcycling technology will be established in Naju, the largest agricultural and livestock production area in Jeollanam-do.

※ This project was supported by the Press Promotion Fund, funded by government advertising fees.