Hyundai Department Store Launches Own Pork Brand... "Quality Control Through Non-Destructive Testing"

Launch of 'Hyundai Selected Pork'
Direct Management from Production to Distribution
Strict Quality Standards Established, Including Fat Ratio

Hyundai Department Store announced on the 20th that it will launch its own pork brand, 'Hyundai Selected Pork,' and begin sales at the food halls of five metropolitan area stores: Apgujeong Main Store, Trade Center Store, Pangyo Store, Mokdong Store, and The Hyundai Seoul.

At Hyundai Department Store Trade Center branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Hyundai Department Store officials are introducing their own pork brand, 'Hyundai Selected Pork.' Photo by Hyundai Department Store

Hyundai Selected Pork is a pork brand managed directly by Hyundai Department Store throughout the entire process from production to distribution. Only grade 1 or higher female pigs are selected, applying five strict quality standards established by the company, including 100% antibiotic-free and low-carbon certification. Hyundai Department Store is the first in the industry to introduce a pork brand applying these five quality standards.

A Hyundai Department Store official explained, "In collaboration with Daejeon Chungnam Pig Farming Cooperative, we source supplies only from eight carefully selected farms out of 251 farms in the region," adding, "We upgraded the stringent quality standards of the department store food halls to fully convey the value of the efforts made by excellent local producers to customers."

Hyundai Department Store conducts a full inspection of all incoming pork using a 'Non-destructive Fat Analyzer' (VCS2000) to guarantee a consistent fat ratio. While quality can be maintained through sample inspections, the company decided to inspect all quantities to increase reliability.

At the Daejeon Chungnam Pig Farming Cooperative auction site where inspections take place, visual selection work is performed to check thickness, meat color, fat color, and marbling by eye. Additionally, a non-destructive fat analyzer equipped with three cameras analyzes the size of pig carcasses and the amount of meat, and an image analysis process predicts the weight of pork belly and fat ratio.

This is to select raw meat with a fat ratio in pork belly exceeding 40% or falling below 25%, based on the golden ratio (25-30%) most preferred by domestic consumers as revealed by the Livestock Products Quality Evaluation Institute.

Afterward, the incoming raw meat is further trimmed by professional butchers belonging to Hyundai Green Food in the meat processing rooms of each store. For pork belly, subcutaneous fat is trimmed to not exceed 10mm in thickness, reflecting government recommendations, and excess fat is additionally removed. The thickness of intermuscular fat (fat layers between lean meat) is maintained below 10mm.

The products offered include popular cuts such as pork belly, neck, tenderloin, jowl, front leg, and ribs. Reflecting increasingly segmented customer preferences, a 'Pork Sampler' product is also introduced, allowing customers to taste various cuts at once. It is a small package containing eight different cuts, including rare special pork parts like kkot-sal and kko-deul-sal, in portions of 60 to 150 grams.

Jang Woo-seok, Executive Director of Hyundai Department Store’s Food Business Division, said, "We will continue to present Hyundai Department Store’s unique content that differentiates us from other distribution channels and solidify our position as the top-tier fresh food competitor leading the industry in Korea."