[Courtesy of Lotte Confectionery]
South Korea's sugar consumption has significantly decreased during the last decade thanks to increased awareness of health. According to Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, retail sales of sugar decreased by about 27 percent to 161.4 billion won ($127.1 million) in 2020 from 219.8 billion won in 2015. Data released by Euromonitor, a market research firm, showed that the domestic low-calorie and zero-sugar market stood at 131.9 billion won in 2020, up 14 percent from 2018.
Non-sugar beverages are regarded as one of the most popular products among sugar-free products. Some 1.27 billion liters of sugar-free beverages were sold as of 2020, up 4.7 percent from a year ago. From January 2021 to February 2022, Lotte Chilsung Beverage, a subsidiary of Lotte Group, has sold a monthly average of 10 million bottles of the zero-sugar version of the company's best-selling fizzy lemonade product "Chilsung Cider."
Lotte Confectionery said in a statement on May 23 that the company launched "ZERO," a non-sugar snack brand with five food products including chocolate chip cookies, chocolate bars, and frozen cola. The non-sugar frozen cola has about 25 percent fewer calories than its original product. The five products are being sold through online channels and department stores. The company will showcase more non-sugar products and increase its sales channels.
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