Expansion of the Healthy-Pleasure Trend
Launch of Two Low-Sugar Konjac Noodle Dishes and Low-Sugar Bibimbap
Number of Low-Sugar and Low-Calorie Products Up 2.6 Times in Two Years
CU, the convenience store operated by BGF Retail, announced on July 10 that it has launched four types of low-sugar ready meals (HMR) in collaboration with the low-sugar food brand MyNormal, as the "healthy pleasure" (healthy-pleasure) trend of enjoying health management has become mainstream.
First, MyNormal Low-Sugar Konjac Mulnaengmyeon and Low-Sugar Konjac Bibimmyeon are being launched, each priced at 4,900 won.
The Low-Sugar Konjac Mulnaengmyeon features low-calorie konjac noodles served with a broth sweetened with allulose to reduce sugar content. Even when including all components?noodles, broth, and egg?the total sugar content does not exceed 5g, and the calorie count is 143kcal. Compared to conventional mulnaengmyeon, the sugar content is reduced by 73% and the calories by 69%.
The Low-Sugar Konjac Bibimmyeon is a product where konjac noodles are mixed with a special allulose-based sauce. It contains 201kcal and the sugar content does not exceed 5g. Compared to regular bibim-naengmyeon, the sugar content is reduced by 77% and the calories by 62%.
On July 23, the company will introduce the Low-Sugar Jeonju-style Bibimbap (6,000 won), which features a low-sugar bibim sauce made with allulose, mixed with glutinous barley rice, assorted vegetables, and high-protein egg white "Grilled Danbaegi." In August, the lineup will expand with the launch of Low-Sugar Tteokbokki (3,700 won), further strengthening the low-sugar HMR product range.
Recently, the healthy-pleasure trend has led to increased purchases of related products at convenience stores. At CU, the annual sales growth rates for zero-sugar, low-sugar, and low-calorie products were 93.9% in 2022, 67.7% in 2023, and 95.7% in the past year, consistently showing high figures. The number of related products increased from about 100 in 2022 to about 260 last year, a 2.6-fold increase.
According to the "2024 Food Industry Production Performance" report by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Food Safety Information Service, the total domestic food industry production in the previous year reached 114.8252 trillion won, up 5.8% from the year before. Among these, the production value of "sugar zero" products, which reduce sugar content, increased by 20.1%.
Lee Suyeon, MD of the HMR team at BGF Retail, stated, "As more consumers check nutritional content not only in beverages and desserts but also in meals, we have collaborated with MyNormal to launch HMR products that allow people to enjoy delicious low-sugar meals." She added, "CU will continue to develop differentiated products in line with the healthy-pleasure trend so that customers can conveniently and enjoyably manage their health in their everyday lives."
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