Food ministry backs 23 lower-sodium, lower-sugar products

The food and drug safety ministry said Wednesday it supported the development of 23 reduced-sodium and reduced-sugar food products this year, part of a push to widen the range of healthier options on convenience-store shelves and restaurant menus in South Korea.

Fifteen were processed foods — 10 with less sodium and five with less sugar — developed with 14 companies, while the remaining eight were prepared dishes such as sandwiches, udon, malatang and drinks, made with four companies.

A tteokbokki sold mainly at convenience stores cut sodium by about 30 percent by adjusting the blend of sauce ingredients, while a lunchbox product lowered sodium by about 15 percent by using less salt in its sauce. Baked goods reduced sugar by as much as 45 percent by cutting sugar and drawing on chocolate and sweet pumpkin for flavor. The ministry also supported lower-sodium gimbap, triangle gimbap and sandwiches, and sauces with less sugar.

Sandwiches were reformulated to reduce sodium, udon and malatang lowered sodium by using less salt and seasoning in their broths, and a chocolate drink cut sugar while making up sweetness with allulose and monk fruit extract. The products carry labels such as "reduced sodium" and "lower sugar."

The program has run since 2021. Through last year it backed the development of 41 processed products and 29 prepared dishes.

"For people to cut their sodium and sugar intake in daily life, it is important that a variety of reduced products are developed and distributed and that an environment is created where consumers can easily choose them," minister Oh Yu-kyoung said. She added that the ministry will continue to support development of reduction technology and work to spread less salty and less sweet foods more widely.

From Wednesday through Saturday, the ministry will run a promotional hall for the products at Food Week Korea, the 21st Seoul International Food Industry Exhibition, in Hall A of Coex in Seoul. The hall will display the supported products alongside 54 reduced-sodium and reduced-sugar items that food companies developed on their own.

The ministry will also promote a project with the public delivery app Meokkkaebi that flags restaurants whose menus fall below sodium and sugar thresholds, or whose dishes can be ordered with those levels adjusted, using badges and menu tags.