[Courtesy of Papa John's Korea]
South Korea's vegan meat market has been rapidly growing to meet demands of some 2 million vegans. Data released by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation showed that the country's vegan meat market which stood at 22.7 billion won ($18.1 million) in 2020 will reach 29.4 billion won in 2025. In July 2021, Shinsegae Food, a food company affiliated with Shinsegae, released vegan cold cuts for Starbucks sandwiches nationwide.
Papa John's Korea said in a statement on February 6 that two new products -- "Green Eat Vegetable Margarita" and "Green Eat Vegetable Garden Special" -- were released. The food products were created using coconut oil, starch, and plant-based cheese certified by a Britain-based vegan association called "The Vegan Society." The vegan pizzas don't contain any dairy products or gluten.
"Although the domestic market is still small compared to the overseas vegan market, the role of a premium pizza brand is to respond to preferences of each consumer," Papa John's Korea head Jeon Joong-gu was quoted as saying. The South Korean office launched in 2003 had 222 stores as of March 2022. The company aims to run more than 300 stores by 2025.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
