Promoting Consumption Through Group Catering Menu Development
Contributing to the Establishment of a Stable Cultivation Environment
Hyundai Green Food, a comprehensive food company affiliated with Hyundai Department Store Group, announced on the 20th that it will purchase 100 tons of low-carbon imperfect cabbages produced by farms in Jeju that cultivate low-carbon agricultural products. Last year, it supported Jeju carrot farmers who faced difficulties due to a sharp price drop caused by overproduction, and this time, it has decided to purchase a large quantity of Jeju cabbages, which are suffering from a double hardship due to poor harvests and an increase in imported cabbages.
Hyundai Green Food's decision to purchase low-carbon cabbages from Jeju comes as farmers are struggling to secure sales channels due to increased imports of cheap Chinese cabbages amid a situation where production has decreased and prices have risen due to poor crop conditions. Last year, Jeju experienced record-breaking heatwaves and autumn monsoons, which worsened the growing environment for cabbages, causing production to plummet to about half of the usual level.
A Hyundai Green Food official explained, "In the case of this year's harvested Jeju cabbages, although the taste and quality are not affected by the unfavorable weather conditions, there is a high proportion of so-called 'imperfect' cabbages that have blemishes or rough shapes. Since taste and quality are paramount for ingredients used in group catering, we decided to purchase these imperfect cabbages."
The cabbages Hyundai Green Food is purchasing this time were harvested from the Bihwasan Hoeto farmland in Aewol-eup, Jeju City. Each cabbage weighs around 2.5 kg, which is about 25% larger than Chinese cabbages, and is characterized by a strong sweetness and a crisp texture. Additionally, they have received the ‘Low-Carbon Agricultural Product Certification,’ which is awarded to agricultural products that emit less carbon during cultivation compared to the average for the category by applying low-carbon farming methods.
In January last year, Hyundai Green Food supported farmers by purchasing about 200 tons of Jeju carrots after typhoons completely bypassed Jeju, causing a surge in production and a price collapse. In 2021, it purchased 2.4 tons (about 8,000 fish) of mountain trout, which had no sales channels due to the cancellation of the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival caused by COVID-19, and provided them as group catering menu items. In 2019, it also purchased 100 tons of onions when prices plummeted in Muan, Jeollanam-do, due to abnormal high temperatures, providing assistance then as well.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
