A strong trend towards 'sugar reduction' is sweeping through traditional Korean seasoning products. Cooking sauces known for their high sugar content, such as gochujang, soy sauce, and bulgogi sauce, are being restructured into low-sugar, low-calorie products in line with health trends. The food industry is continuously introducing new low-sugar seasoning products using natural sweeteners like allulose instead of sugar, maintaining the unique flavors of Korean cuisine while responding to the demand for healthier options.
According to the food industry on the 11th, Dongwon Home Food recently introduced seven low-sugar cooking seasonings that have reduced sugar content to less than 3 grams per 100 grams through its 'Vivid Kitchen' brand. These seasonings, intended for home-cooked dishes like stir-fried anchovies, tteokbokki, and stir-fried pork, utilize natural sweeteners such as allulose instead of sugar. Launched in 2020, Vivid Kitchen is a brand specializing in B2C (business-to-consumer) sauces and convenient meals, prominently featuring the low-sugar, low-calorie concept.
Daesang is also transitioning its core soy sauce lineup to low-sugar products through its 'LOWTAG' lineup, which includes low-sugar gochujang, doenjang stew seasoning, and flavored soy sauce. LOWTAG is a proprietary emblem attached to low-spec (low-sugar, low-sodium, low-calorie) products that meet the criteria for low or no emphasis set by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Sugar content has been reduced by up to 86% from existing levels, and dedicated production facilities for allulose have been established in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, ensuring the stability of raw material supply.
The industry evaluates low-sugar Korean sauces as a 'turning point' away from traditional high-sugar cooking methods. As demand for low-spec products increases in both domestic and international markets, reducing sugar content has established itself as a necessary strategy rather than an option for food corporations.
In fact, the demand for low-sugar sauces in Korea is on the rise. In the case of Vivid Kitchen, sales last year reached 14.8 billion won, which is 2.6 times higher than the previous year. Influenced by trends such as healthy pleasure (managing health joyfully) and anti-aging (slowing down aging through diet), some experts estimate that the low-sugar sauce market has more than doubled in the past three years.
With the globalization of Korean cuisine, exports of sauces are also on the rise. According to the Korea Customs Service, the export amount of sauces in the first quarter of this year was $10.1 million (approximately 14.48 billion won), an increase of 9.1% compared to the same period last year. The industry anticipates that total exports will exceed $400 million this year. The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) predicts that the global sauce market will grow from $43.3 billion in 2023 to $60 billion by 2030.
Major food corporations are cultivating low-sugar sauces as a new growth engine. Dongwon Home Food is expanding the Vivid Kitchen product line into ready-to-eat meals, retort products, and export-only items, planning to increase its export share to over 30%, focusing on the U.S. and Southeast Asia. The export target for this year is 30 billion won. Daesang also plans to grow the LOWTAG product line into an allulose-based strategic brand and focus on market penetration.
The retail industry is also joining the low-sugar seasoning market. The convenience store CU has collaborated with a low-sugar specialty brand to launch a home meal replacement (HMR) series, which includes allulose-containing bibimbap sauce, while some large supermarkets are expanding their own-brand (PB) sauces, such as low-sugar sriracha and sugar-free dressings. E-commerce platforms like Kurly are also distributing health-oriented seasoning products, including low-sugar gochujang and ssamjang.
An industry insider noted, "With the technical foundation secured, low-sugar sauces can now maintain the flavors of traditional Korean cuisine," adding, "Low-sugar sauces will also be a differentiated competitive advantage in the strategy for the globalization of Korean cuisine."