CJ Freshway's plant-based burger to be offered as school meals

[Courtesy of CJ Freshway]

SEOUL --The food material distribution wing of South Korean conglomerate CJ Group released a plant-based burger that will be offered as a school meal. At schools in Seoul, vegetarian meals have been given twice a month since April 2021 as education offices try to popularize vegetarianism so students can get used to a vegetarian diet from a young age.

The number of vegans has steadily increased in South Korea thanks to the increased awareness of health and well-being. Data released by Euromonitor, a market research firm, showed that South Korea's alternative meat market reached $13.9 million in 2021, up 35 percent from a year ago.

CJ Freshway said that plant-based meat called "No Meat Cheese Cutlet Burger" has been released. Its main ingredients are cheese cutlets made of non-genetically modified soy protein, vegan chipotle sauce and artificial hamburger buns. Mini romaine lettuce produced at a smart farm was applied.

"Because we are a business-to-business (B2B) company, a total of 30 burgers will be supplied at once to a school," CJ Freshway official Lim Ji-sun told Aju Business Daily on September 15. Lim said that burgers will be delivered to school cafeterias in the form of meal kits and distributed to students after they are cooked.

More domestic companies produce vegan meat products. In July 2021, Shinsegae Food, a food company affiliated with South Korea's retail giant Shinsegae, released vegan cold cuts, pre-cooked or sliced cuts of meat, for Starbucks sandwiches. Emart, the megastore wing of Shinsegae, is currently selling alternative meat products called "Unlimeat" at meat sections in 20-selected Emart stores.

Kim Joo-heon jhkim123@ajunews.com

CJ Freshway's plant-based burger to be offered as school meals

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