Zespri is a brand that represents health and wellness. Our goal is to raise awareness of the issue of "hidden hunger" and to enable consumers to make smarter dietary choices.
Koohwi Eung, general manager of Zespri International marketing, presented this global vision at a press conference on the results of a study on nutrient-dense healthy diets held on the 28th at the Sofitel Ambassador Hotel in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Hidden hunger refers to a lack of nutrients despite sufficient caloric intake.
Eung noted, "Zespri holds about 85% market share in the Korean kiwi market. However, only 1 in 5 Koreans consumes enough vegetables and fruits according to recommended guidelines. Given that dietary habits cannot change overnight, the Korean market is very important for Zespri." Korea is identified as the fifth largest market after China, Japan, Spain, and Germany based on last year's figures.
This press conference by the premium kiwi brand Zespri was held in conjunction with "World Nutrition Day." It introduced the high nutrient density of Zespri kiwis and presented research results conducted in cooperation with the Korean Society of Nutrition, highlighting the nutritional benefits of a single kiwi. Nutrient density is an indicator of how much nutrient is contained when a constant caloric intake is converted to a standard of 100 kcal.
According to research by the Korean Society of Nutrition, the per capita fruit consumption in Korea is 113g as of 2023. This is about a 40% decrease compared to 10 years ago. As a result, it was found that 7 out of 10 Koreans do not meet the daily recommended intake of essential nutrients such as vitamin C and vitamin E.
Professor Shin Sang-ah from the Department of Food and Nutrition at Chung-Ang University, affiliated with the Korean Society of Nutrition, suggested that despite living in an era abundant with ingredients, the intake rates of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals among Koreans remain quite low. She emphasized the need to incorporate nutrient-dense foods like kiwis to improve the deficiency of essential vitamins and minerals.
The nutrient density of Zespri's SunGold kiwi is 26.7. This is up to 11 times higher compared to the nutrient density of pineapple, which is cited as the fruit with the lowest nutrient density at 2.4. Zespri's Green kiwi also has a high nutrient density of 19.5.
In particular, adding one SunGold kiwi to the diet improved vitamin C deficiency across all age groups and genders. Deficiencies in vitamin E, folate, and dietary fiber also decreased by an average of 23%.
Dr. Jeong Hee-won was a speaker at the conference. Dr. Jeong, a professor at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, led the "slow aging" trend. He stated, "Instead of consuming processed forms like supplements or liquid fructose, eating whole fruits allows for effective intake of vitamins and antioxidants. Eating kiwis clean and with the skin can increase dietary fiber intake by 50%. This can also increase the intake of folate and vitamin E compared to just consuming the flesh."
Zespri plans to conduct a project with a goal of achieving a 10% household penetration rate in Korea. Household penetration rate refers to the proportion of family members or social members who most frequently consume a particular fruit in their daily lives.
Hong Hee-sun, marketing director of Zespri Korea, noted, "What we consider most important is how consistently Koreans eat kiwis in their daily lives, alongside apples and bananas. We hope kiwis become a new standard for Korean consumers when choosing nutrient-dense foods."