Demonstration Study for Care Facilities
Joint Development with Large Hospitals
Expanded Inclusion of Meat, Fish, and Seaweed
Application of 'Softening Technology' for Tender Texture
Hyundai Green Food announced on the 26th that it will launch a care food menu called 'Greeting Wells' targeting people aged 70 and older.
Greeting Wells is a brand developed through empirical research targeting nursing facilities and joint research with government agencies and large hospitals. It upgraded the soft protein products, which were mainly meat-based soft side dishes introduced in 2022, by adding soup and vegetables to enable a balanced meal.
First, to supplement protein, which elderly people often miss, ingredients high in protein such as meat and fish were mainly used. Additionally, the use of seaweed and carrots was increased to provide nutrients that are easily deficient in the elderly, such as calcium and vitamin A. Furthermore, softening technology was applied to maintain the form of the food while making the texture soft so that elderly people with weak teeth can easily eat meat.
Specifically, the product lineup consists of 42 types for B2C (business-to-consumer) customers who order ready-to-eat meals and receive them via regular delivery, and 112 types for B2B (business-to-business) customers supplied in a semi-cooked form to nursing facilities and others.
Previously, Hyundai Green Food launched Greeting, the first care food specialized brand in Korea in 2020, and has been operating various care foods including protein, low-sugar, low-calorie diets, and specialized diets for patients with diseases.
A Hyundai Green Food official explained the background of the launch, saying, "The number of middle-aged and older children who live independently without living with their parents is gradually increasing. Especially after COVID-19, the trend of 'untact filial piety,' which involves remotely supporting parents by sending regular delivery meals to their separate residences or hiring visiting rehabilitation exercise experts, has emerged, and this was also taken into consideration."
The Greeting Wells for B2C can be purchased in regular delivery of 9 or 12 meals per week through the official online mall, Greeting Mall. Short-term orders on a weekly basis are also possible. Orders placed before 7 p.m. are delivered nationwide (excluding island and mountainous areas and some regions) the next day. The selling price ranges from 6,000 to 7,000 KRW, which is about 40% cheaper compared to existing Greeting protein and low-sugar diets. The B2B products are semi-cooked ingredients packaged in large quantities that can be easily heated at group meal facilities to complete a senior-specialized diet.
Hyundai Green Food plans to expand the number of Greeting Wells menu items to about 300, more than double the current number, by next year. In addition, it plans to expand clinical research with Yonsei University Dental Hospital and introduce liquid diets (foods that can be swallowed without chewing) for patients with complete tooth loss within next year.
Park Ju-yeon, Executive Director of Hyundai Green Food's Greeting Business Division, said, "Greeting Wells can be the optimal solution for many elderly people who have weakened dental and digestive health and thus have insufficient meals in terms of quantity and quality," adding, "We will continue to develop specialized care foods not only for the elderly but also for growing children who need customized nutritional design and patients with diseases, establishing ourselves as a company that positively influences dietary life."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
