CJ CheilJedang presented "deep (D.E.E.P)" as this year's food culture keyword.
According to CJ CheilJedang on the 6th, deep (D.E.E.P) means ▲ Daily wellness, the routinization of healthy diets ▲ Efficiency, the simplification of cooking processes ▲ Exotic, the globalization of meal menus ▲ Personal, the individuation (個食化) of eating behavior.
CJ CheilJedang recently surveyed 2,000 people in their 10s to 70s on food-related lifestyles. The results showed that meals are centered on values each person prioritizes, such as health, convenience, and time, and that dietary patterns have become ultra-personalized and segmented.
CJ CheilJedang classified the diversified eating types into a total of 17 categories. Representative examples include ▲ "home papa," who plans and takes responsibility for family meals ▲ "money-holic/worker-holic," who pursues efficient meals centered on career ▲ the so-called "wellness sustainer," a type that values managing meals to maintain health ▲ "senior couple," who maintain regular meals such as home-cooked food and formal meals ▲ "teenager," who actively uses delivery and convenience stores to take the lead in meals.
In survey items related to health, 53% of respondents said they had experienced various diseases such as high blood pressure, obesity, and dyslipidemia, and 86% said they "think they can become healthier by controlling their diet."
As for meal patterns, 79% eat dinner, 60% lunch, and 46% breakfast (multiple responses), with dinner being the most consistently eaten. Seventy percent of respondents said they "do not necessarily need to have three meals a day," and 65% said they "do not want to spend a lot of time preparing meals."
Perceptions of meals also differed by generation. Forty-five percent of those in their 20s and 30s said "adding a few ingredients to a convenience meal is also cooking" (multiple responses), and those in their 30s and younger perceived "overseas menus that originated in Korea, such as fried chicken and jjajangmyeon, as Korean food (61%)," differing from older generations.
Also, 56% of those in their 30s responded that they "look for foods in Korea that they ate while traveling overseas," and 52% of those in their 20s said they "have sauces and other items for overseas dishes and try cooking them."
Based on the survey results, CJ CheilJedang plans to expand product lines focused on "daily health, efficiency, global, and personal," including "Hetbahn Rice Plan," "Sugar Lite," and "Beksul 10-Min Cook," this year.
A CJ CheilJedang official said, "CJ CheilJedang has been with changes in Koreans' eating habits for about 70 years, creating mega-brands such as Hetbahn, Bibigo, and Gourmet," adding, "We will continue to quickly identify market trends and work to make better products that meet consumers' expectations."