Dongwon F&B, South Korea’s largest canned tuna manufacturer, has launched a vegan food line called My Plant, unveiling a range of plant-based tuna and vegetable dumplings.
The My Plant brand, which uses the slogan “My Favorite Plant-Based Recipes,” offers five plant-based tuna products, including one canned and four pouches. The Dongwon My Plant Dumplings range debuts with two products: Kimchi flavor and regular dumplings.
Both products are made from 100% plant-based ingredients, contain 0% cholesterol and contain plant protein. Dongwon’s new tuna contains up to 31% fewer calories than lean tuna products and provides more dietary fiber than regular tuna, the company says.
South Korean alternative
Dongwon F&B has been selling South Korea’s favorite tuna brand, Dongwon Tuna, since 1982. The brand, a favorite among Japanese and Chinese consumers, has annual sales of 50 billion won.
“Dongwon tuna sold 6.5 billion cans. When aligned, they can circle the Earth 13 times,” the company said on its social media channels.
Not only a tinned tuna supplier, but also a food and beverage giant specializing in CPG, Dongwon F&B also covers home meal replacement (HMR) and meat alternatives. The Korea Economy Daily reported that it is South Korea’s main supplier of imported plant-based meat under an exclusive contract with Beyond Meat.
Adoption of plant-based diets has taken off in Korea, with the alt-meat market growing at 35% a year. South Korea’s alt-meet investment has grown substantially over the past year, rivaling the country’s infotech startups.
An inevitable trend
One of the most notable Korean alt-meet companies is Jiquin. The company supplies its UNLIMEAT products, made from upcycled grains, to several fast food restaurants in the country. UNLIMEAT also launched Korean BBQ and pulled pork in the US last year.
Other companies, such as Shinsegae Food, a food conglomerate affiliated with Shinsegae, have launched an entirely plant-based meat line, Better Food, which debuted with Starbucks sandwiches nationwide. Last July, the new brand introduced a vegan Spam-style product.
In food service, South Korea’s largest fast-food burger chain, LOTTERIA, has announced the launch of a new version of its plant-based burger Riya Miracle Burger in January 2023 at 1,300 locations in the country.
“This is an inevitable trend,” said Lee-won Bok, head of the Korea Vegetarian Union “People now care about the environment and animal rights, and they’re more careful about what they eat.”