(image: Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Jun. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — A new study has found that South Koreans now consume bread every four days.
Due to changes in eating habits, the baking industry saw an increase of nearly 50 percent in sales over a four-year period.
According to a joint study conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) that analyzed the changing trends of the industry, the average individual consumption rate for bread products per year was 90 units in 2016.
This was 12 more units than the 78 units consumed in 2012. Bread also jumped up from 21st to 15th on the list of the top foods consumed per day.
The study also found that men ate an average of 3.4 grams more bread than females every day.
The baking industry’s total production capacity in 2016 stood at 2.1 trillion won, which was an 11.8 percent increase from 1.9 trillion won four years ago.
Of all baked goods produced, 48.1 percent were individual bread products like red bean pastries, followed by cake (34.5 percent), sliced loaf bread (8.7 percent), and doughnuts (3.8 percent).
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated that the production of comparatively unhealthy products such as doughnuts and pies had dropped.
The baking industry’s total sales grew 49.6 percent from 3.9 trillion won in 2012 to 5.9 trillion won in 2016, an average increase of 10.6 percent per year.
The non-franchise retail market, especially, grew from 1.2 trillion won in 2013 to 2.3 trillion in 2016, nearly doubling in size.
The ministry said that branded bakeries offering specialty bread products were quickly increasing in number although franchise shops still accounted for 60 percent of the entire market for baked goods.
Meanwhile, exports of bread products decreased 12.6 percent from $31 million in 2013 to $27.1 million in 2017, while imports almost tripled from $19.1 million to $55.8 million over the same period.
The ministry said that since 2012, hypermarkets have started to sell imported pastry products with extended shelf lives.
“Recently, though, exports to Italy, Taiwan, and Vietnam are on the rise,” explained one ministry official.
Imports from China also rose significantly, increasing more than fivefold over a period of five years.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
