SEOUL, July 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The surge in demand for delivery food in the aftermath of the pandemic has led to a surge in imports and the production of disposable spoons, forks, and knives.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety reported that the supply of disposable forks jumped from 1,501 tons in 2019 to 2,611 tons in 2021, up by 73.9 percent throughout the pandemic.
In contrast, the supply of disposable cups shrank from 308,000 tons in 2019 to 157,000 tons in 2021 following the widespread adoption of reusable cups and tumblers.
The spread of hand-washing practices boosted the supply of hand towels to 71,621 tons last year, which was 7.3 percent higher than the previous year.
South Korea’s production of sanitation products last year reached 2 trillion won (US$1.51 billion), down by 1.9 percent from the previous year. Imports of sanitation products reached 396 billion won, up by 11.7 percent from the previous year.
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