Single-person households are reshaping Korea's food market
News provided by
Poland’s National Poultry Council - Chamber of Commerce (KRD-IG)29 Jun, 2026, 22:00 GMT
SEOUL, South Korea, June 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest data from Statistics Korea, single-person households accounted for 36.1% of all households in South Korea in 2024, making them the country's most common household type. The changing demographic landscape is influencing the way Koreans eat, with more consumers looking for products that make home meal preparation quick and easy.
This is fuelling demand for Home Meal Replacement (HMR) products, meal kits and ready-to-cook (RTC) solutions, which offer convenient, time-saving food options.
Convenience food gains momentum
The convenience food segment is becoming increasingly important in Korea's food market. According to data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, sales of HMR products reached USD 4.5 billion in 2024, up 21.5% year on year. Production value in this category also rose by 13.8%, reaching USD 4.2 billion.
A 2024 study by the Korean Nutrition Society confirms rising demand for meal kits, HMR products, and ready-to-prepare and ready-to-cook categories, highlighting convenience food as a key part of Korea's food market.
Seoul Food & Hotel 2026
The growing interest in modern food solutions was also clearly visible at Seoul Food & Hotel 2026, one of South Korea's leading food industry events, which this year brought together 1,800 exhibitors from 49 countries and 46,228 visitors.
The "European Poultry – From Our Farms to Your Tables" campaign, co-financed by the European Union, also took part in the event. Over four days, campaign and poultry-sector representatives held dozens of B2B meetings with importers, distributors, retailers and foodservice representatives. A key part of the programme was a meeting with the Korea Meat Import Association (KORMIA), focused on opportunities to further develop EU–South Korea cooperation.
Visitors to the campaign stand could learn about the European poultry production system, based on high standards of quality and safety, and taste dishes prepared with European poultry.
"The growing popularity of products designed for quick meal preparation shows how Korean consumers' expectations are changing. European poultry is well placed to meet these needs by offering high quality, safety and versatility, both in the foodservice sector and in convenience food products," said Dariusz Goszczyński, President of the National Poultry Council – Chamber of Commerce in Poland.
The "European Poultry – From Our Farms to Your Tables" campaign promotes the quality, safety and transparency of European poultry production in Korea's rapidly evolving food market.
More information about the campaign: eupoultry.eu/ko
Media contact: pressoffice@eupoultry.eu
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/3001138/European_Poultry.jpg
Share this article