Around 4 p.m. on the 23rd at a supermarket in Dongjak District, Seoul. Under a price tag that read "1,000 won," roll cakes, castella, and cream bread were stacked tightly. The display said "bread baked in the morning," but when the package was flipped over, the label "country of origin: China" caught the eye. Inside the bag was a moisture-absorbing preservative sachet, and the expiration date was marked for six months later.
A job seeker surnamed Kim, 25, who was picking out bread, stared for a while and put the product down. Kim said, "They say it's bread baked in the morning, but I wondered how the shelf life could be this long," and added, "Bread made in Korea goes bad in a few days at most, but they say Chinese bread lasts for months, so I'm not sure it's okay to eat."
◇Chinese bread, 6-month shelf life… "hard to distinguish from domestic products"
Recently, Chinese bread has been spreading quickly, centered on low-cost bakeries known as 1,000-won bread shops. The price is the same at 1,000 won, but the shelf life shows a big difference. While bread made in Korea is usually about a week, Chinese bread lasts two to three months at the shortest and up to six months at the longest.
According to the industry on the 24th, 1,000-won bread shops have grown by touting a "produced and sold on the same day" model and low prices. The factory shipping price of bread made in Korea is around 600–700 won, and the store purchase price including logistics costs is about 700–800 won. Store owners have maintained a "small margin, high volume" strategy, making profit on sales volume while leaving only about 200–300 won in profit per piece.
A shop owner, identified as A, who runs a 1,000-won bread shop in Jung District, Seoul, said, "For bread made in Korea, unsold quantities are returned to the manufacturer the same day, so the burden of freshness or inventory isn't big."
As Chinese bread with long shelf lives has recently poured into this market, consumer reactions are split. Some consumers suspect the possibility of excessive use of preservatives, saying "the shelf life is excessively long." Store owners, on the other hand, say there is no quality issue. They note that because the products have gone through formal import procedures, their safety has been verified.
Another point of controversy is that Chinese bread is not easy to distinguish from Korean products in appearance. Checking five low-cost bakeries and unmanned stores across Seoul over two days starting on the 22nd found that four places were selling Chinese bread. The price was the same at 1,000 won everywhere.
Large Korean phrases were written on the front of the packaging, making it easy for consumers to mistake them for domestic products. In contrast, the country of origin and manufacturer information are displayed relatively small on the back.
◇Seoul City to conduct intensive inspections of "preservative standards"
Consumers are expressing anxiety about both the long shelf life and the country of origin. A college student surnamed Kim, 20, said, "Chinese food products tend to have low trust, so I worry from the start whether they're properly made," and added, "I check the country of origin on the back of the product one by one before buying."
Store owners said that because Chinese bread is supplied through official importers, there is no safety issue. Some products even carried a mark indicating enrollment in a 1 billion won product liability insurance policy from a Korean insurer. That means legal liability for damages can be covered if an accident occurs due to a product defect.
B, who runs a 1,000-won bread shop in Dongjak District, said, "If safety had been verified, insurance enrollment would have been possible, wouldn't it?" and added, "The view that only Chinese products are uniquely unsafe is excessive."
In fact, the 1,000-won bread store also carried bread imported from Japan. As with Chinese products, a desiccant was included in the package.
The industry cites a "multi-product strategy" as the background for introducing Chinese bread. The idea is to increase the types of products to broaden consumer choice and boost sales. Store owners explain that "purchase prices are similar for both domestic and imported products, so the profit difference isn't big."
Store owner B said, "The purchase prices for Chinese bread and Korean bread are almost the same, so there isn't more profit," and added, "We display them based on taste and consumer preference."
Authorities have begun inspections. Seoul City plans to collect about 700 low-cost imported breads through the 27th to test whether preservative standards are being met. It will focus on whether key preservatives such as propionic acid and sodium propionate exceed allowable limits and whether banned tar dyes are used. Products that violate the standards will be pulled from shelves immediately and recalled.