5 South Korean Companies Pave The Way To Sustainable Food Production With Plant-Based Food Products

South Korean food tech companies have been going neck and neck with the rest of the world when it comes to creating ingenious and sustainable plant-based foods. Right from the world’s first plant-based salt to plant-based yogurts and plant-based milk products; the start-ups in this country have been swiftly rolling out healthier and more sustainable food products to effectively change the way we look at food.

Most of the companies are ensuring their products have maximum reach by selling via online retail in Korea. While some have also managed to branch out worldwide with target markets in countries like the USA, Japan, China, and even central Europe. So, today, we bring you 5 gems from their thriving plant-based industry.

PhytoCo 

One of the most exciting food tech start-ups in Seoul, PhytoCo was founded in 2014. Their product PhytoSalt is an ingenious one as the first plant-based salt around the globe. It is healthier than sea salt as it comprises 20% less sodium. Moreover, it’s 100% microplastics-free and produced from Salicornia, which is a salt-accumulating sapling.

The CEO and president of PhytoCo Deuk-Hoi Kim said of their product, “It is especially good for use with salty snacks such as chips, crackers, pretzels, and french fries, and we also recommend it for use as a sports drink – it is rich in essential minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron, so if you drink with water after sweating, it can replenish the electrolytes that have escaped with sweat.”

Speaking of the motive behind their products, Kim states, “The world is now facing a serious shortage of crop production due to water shortages caused by climate change, but Salicornia is mass-cultivated by seawater agriculture and could potentially solve these food shortages".

 What’s curious is that the company timed the product during the covid pandemic to ensure that there is a deep awareness of health, safety, and the global environment, "so especially when it comes to food consumption, consumers will pursue healthier and safer foods,” concludes Kim. PhytoCo is now working in making a plant-based food supplement for domesticated animals as well as humans using Salicornia. 

A Milky

Another wonderful start-up from South Korea, A Milky aims to extend plant-based drink products. Their foray into the beverage sphere began with Another Milk (this is made of almond and cashew). They have since launched a coffee or breakfast beverage known as Another Coffee and even cruelty-free and guilt-free chocolate. The chocolate is named Zero Chocolate and A Milky also has launched plant-based ice creams that are delicious and cruelty-free.

The PlantEat Inc.

Theirs is a food-tech start-up that plans, designs, produces, and sells a variety of plant-based substitutes. It does wide-ranging research to generate these products and puts an emphasis on creating data-based plant materials. Headquartered in Anyang, Kyonggi-do of South Korea, this start-up was founded by Jaesik Yang on March 5th of 2017. The motto of this start-up has been to eradicate the issue of malnutrition globally.

So, the company plans to create better and healthier, plant-based products that are sustainable. Since the world is at the moment extremely reliant on animal husbandry and animal-based food items, PlantEat aims to advance the consumption habits of people for a healthier lifestyle.

Interestingly, this start-up only generates vegan products. All of their products are certified by the UK vegetarian society and they have also done a lot of research on locating and producing meat alternatives. They tied up with Korean Agriculture Tech Company EzFarm for furthering this goal.

Zikooin Company

This is a Seoul-based start-up that believes in making forays into several different spheres as the Zikooin Company has a myriad of food-related projects. Some of their initiatives involve the production of food products from discarded and un-sellable fruit to further sustainability in food consumption.

They are also creating plant-based meat substitutes that are fashioned out of brown rice and nuts. Their plant meat is named Unlimeat and it is made of overproduced food grains that were cast off owing to imperfections. The cherry on the top is that the CEO Min, Keum-chae insists on biodegradable food packaging to make sure they have a green footprint.

Vegut Lab

An exciting foray into the forms of plant-based yogurt, the Vegut Lab generates 100% plant-based yogurt that is also lactose-free. Their products are gluten-free as well and they come in flavors such as coconut, almond, and soy. They are certified as vegan and follow sustainable practices.

Like many other developed economies, South Korea has been making strides forward when it comes to a plant-based revolution. Their own vegan innovations and plant-based start-ups work tirelessly as climate deterioration continues to intensify. Nevertheless, plant-based products created by these five start-ups have certainly encouraged other companies to move toward more sustainable food production practices.

Their aim is to ultimately reform and transform the world’s food system with a plant-based revolution so that food consumption is more sustainable. We hope for fewer climate-change-related weather events given that the strides made by these start-ups will positively affect climate change and even food security. 

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