• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.25-39
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• 2002

This paper aims to provide quite recent information on the organic industry in the U.S. Major focuses are on the development of cultivation and marketing of fresh and processed organic produce and foods, newly enforced certification program, consumers' purchasing behaviors toward organic foods, and social survey results administered to the organic farmers in the U.S. The U.S. recorded 8 billion dollars' sale of organic foods in 2000, which was the largest in the world and showed 23% growth compared to the previous year. Yet the organic industry is still a niche market, occupying merely 1.5% of total food sale amount. The natural foods markets have not been so concentrated in the U.S., but it is changing and a few wholesale mart such as Whole Foods is emerging. Recent introduction of new certification program provide unified and sole standard at the federal level to which every certifier needs to adjust itself in order to be acceredited by the government. According to a social survey, consumers purchase organic foods because they concern about health, they stick to their own modes of life favoring natural foods, and so on. Another social survey shows that most organic farmers sell their produces to wholesalers, distributers, or producer coop, and direct sale to visitors at their own farm comprises of about 8 percent of their organic land.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.310-314
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• 2004

This is the re-arrangement of the 2004 Asia Nutrition & Dietary Supplement Conference organized by ABF(The Asia Business Forum) in Singapore, especially regulatory view of point of health functional foods for Korea, Japan, and China. Foods that may have health benefits beyond the traditional nutrients that they contain are often called 'Functional Foods'. The concept of functional foods has become popular in recent years, first in Japan and later in other countries, including the USA. In USA, The functional foods was controlled by ACSH (the American Council on Science and Health). In Korea, 'Functional Foods'. was defined on the 'The Law for the Health Functional Foods'(Law No. 6727 : effective as of $26^{th}$, Aug. 2002). KFDA(Korea Food and Drug Administration) is the only authority body for approval, advertisement and claims for the Health Functional Foods in Korea. In Japan, the Japan Health Food and Nutrition Food Association controls the approval, regulate functional foods' advertisement and claims under the name of FOSHU (Foods for Specified Health Uses). In China, the State Food and Drug Administration(SFDA) is the only authoritative organization for the application, supervision and administration of health related products. Asia, especially Korea, Japan and China, is one of the leader in the vitamins and dietary supplement(VDS) market. Regulatory issues on restrictions are the most important how to tap into the health functional foods market including Korea.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.47-54
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• 2011

This paper presents exploratory research on consumer awareness and attitudesabout organic food, for which consumer demand continues to increase the paper also assesses consumers' organic food distribution channel preferences. By conducting a literature review, a case study has been carried out in order to glean customer behavior, market condition and typesof distribution channels, and development of specialty stores for organic foods. The early research indicates that consumer awareness and customer attitudes toward organic food are mostly positive however, organic food's high price, as well as a lack of organic food stores, cause a negative effect on consumers' purchase intention. Secondly, the U.S. organic food retail channel consists of such mainstream supermarket/grocery stores and leading natural and organic food supermarket chains as Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Sunflower Farmers Market. For the current retail distribution of organic food in Korea, off-line stores are composed of direct management stores and franchise chains. Most of the organic food retail distribution operates through the Internet shopping mall, and are commonly located at retail distribution centers as multi-channel, shop-in-shop stores. Moreover, unlike in the U.S., association and consumers' cooperatives (Co-Ops), and such other member-direct retail stores as Hansallim, iCOOP, Nature Dream,and online shopping malls, are all active in Korea. Thirdly, as a result of an analysis of the present state of the organic food retail channel, as well as building a case for organic food specialty stores, the distinctive featuresand rapid growth of such unique organic food stores as Whole Foods Market, or Trader Joe's successful downsizing strategies, as well as Sunflower Farmers Market low-price approach, show steady industry growth. Moreover, as a result of a case studyof such domestic representative organic food specialty stores as "Olga" and "Chorokmaeul," a similar management style to the United States' "Whole Foods Market" and "Trader Joe's," respectively, can be seen. Similar to the U.S. market, Korean organic food markets should also implement active retail distribution opportunities, allowing consumers to select from various diverse and differentiated choices. In order to accomplish this goal, it is necessary to prepare such measures as sustaining reasonable prices, securing various suppliers for unique products,and improving consumer trust through advertisement strategies that are suitable for each company's branding processes.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.11-20
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• 2006

Korea dairy industry has a long and chronic problems to consume raw milk , those are surplus milk and decline the market milk consumption continued about 10 years. This study was aim to propose and to find the solution for dairy industry problems. After WTO system, with the importation of dairy products, domestic milk production has fell into the situation of excess supply and huge inventory of dried milk, the milk powder stocks have increased since 2002. That made a chronic decline milk consumption in Korea. The core of chronic problem of Korea dairy industry is the decreasing in market milk consumption. If they have a settlement of any other way using their raw milk to process and consumption to market milk, there will be a solution to solve the chronic problems in this situation. Especially, that will be a development of small farm scale natural cheese production and consume. This may be lead a situation of increase the raw milk consumption, because natural cheese making needs much of raw milk more than market milk. But there are very low technical level of farmers cheese making status, so they need a cheese making educational program for their commercial level of cheese products. Under these situation, there are needed a way out of educational system for the dairy farmers to obtain the high level of cheese making technology from the trustable and scientific organization. The natural cheese making technique of dairy farmers should be accumulated to get the consumers' solid recognition of high quality of natural cheese as LOHAS(Lifestyle Of Health And Sustainability) foods.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.79-91
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• 2015

Purpose - First, the study identifies and analyzes consumer preferences with regard to health foods and supplements. Second, it identifies and analyzes consumer preferences with regard to the properties of Vitamin C supplements. Third, in order to provide a basic data for the development of Vitamin C supplements and to measure how consumers value the properties of different Vitamin C products, a consumer survey was conducted through the choice-based conjoint model. Based on the results, the research estimates consumers' relative product-related priorities as well as price levels and willingness to pay (WTP) for different product types, and makes suggestions regarding consumer-oriented new product development and progressive directions for the successful launch of health foods and supplements. Research design, data, and methodology - This study aims to define the attributes of health foods and supplements based on several characteristics including their natural ingredients, product price, product originality, natural ingredient content, and additional functional ingredients, and makes suggestions regarding strategic market pricing and product development for health foods and supplements according to customer attitudes and characteristics. The research used choice-based conjoint analysis methodology based on the Multinomial Logic Model and collected 94 questionnaires filled out by users of Korean Vitamin C supplements. Results - Product price is the most influential factor among the five analyzed properties. When consumers buy Vitamin C products, the relative significance level of four of the examined properties is as follows: 40.9% for product price, 23.3% for product originality, 21.9% for natural ingredient content, and 13.9% for additional functional ingredients. Vitamin C content is excluded as it is not a statistically significant factor. It is interesting that supplement manufacturers and retailers consider Vitamin C content to be very important whereas consumers do not regard it as an important factor at the time of purchase. The results for the marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for each property of Vitamin C supplements show that consumers are willing to pay an additional 11,146 Korean won for a 50% increase in the natural ingredient content. With regard to product originality, consumers are willing to pay an additional 11,301 Korean won for products manufactured in Europe than for products manufactured in China. Moreover, consumers show a greater preference for products manufactured in Korea than in Europe. However, consumers are not willing to pay more for additional Vitamin C or additional functional ingredients added to Vitamin C products. Conclusions - According to the results of consumer research on Vitamin C supplements, which represent a popular health food supplement in Korea, most Korean health food and supplement companies are not consumer- or market-oriented when developing new products. Companies gather information from either R&D specialists or sales managers and their opinions are highly reflected in new product development. The study's results will help companies recognize the importance of understanding consumers' unmet needs in advance to develop new products in the future.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.523-528
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• 2005

The commercial interests in functional foods containing probiotics are gaining significance in view of increasing studies on their role in digestive tract. Probiotic dairy foods containing health-promoting bacteria are important segment of functional food market. Various health benefits have been attributed to specific strains of lactic acid bacteria or food containing these probiotic cultures. Probiotic-containing foods are considered to improve general gut health and natural defenses of body, and lower blood cholesterol level. Specific probiotic microbes can alleviate or prevent diverse intestinal diarrhea-inducing disorders, cause prophylaxis of intestinal and urogenital infections, inhibit mutagenicity of intestinal contents, and reduce incidence of intestinal tumors. Recent increasing evidences on health effects of probiotics have triggered consumer interest in this category of functional foods. Rational approach needs to be applied in selection of strains for probiotic preparation to achieve required functionality. Present article focuses on some prominent probiotic candidates and criteria for their inclusion in functional food sector. Various health claims of probiotics on gastrointestinal disorders, anticarcinogenic effects, and anti-cholestrimic effects, and possible mechanistic explanations for their functionality are highlighted.

• Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.50-53
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• 2010

In order to reduce the obesity incidence, the development of sugarless, low calorie foods and ingredients are required, so normally quality substantially sugarless or fat free food composition comprising a flavoring amount of a low calorie sweeteners such as sugar alcohol, oligosaccharide and natural high sweeteners including stevia, aspartam, sucralose for food processing because of the malady of livelihood habit cause by the obesity. In as much as common sugar is high in calories and its sweetening effect can be obtained with relatively low calorie artificial sweeteners such as stevia, aspartame many products have been offered which are sugar-free, the sweetening effect being obtained with and artificial sweetener.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.37-43
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• 2002

In recent years, numerous studies have been carried out to find out the possible substitution of PE-coated paperboards used in packaging of watery or oily foods. Accordingly, this study was carried out to obtain the basic data for producing higher functional coating agents for pulp mold by evaluating various kinds of synthetic and natural coating agents on the market. Physical properties of coated paperboards were tested. Conclusions obtained from this study were as follows. AKD and PVA showed higher functions than the other synthetic coating agents, while functions of CMC, Com starch and Oxidized starch were higher than those of other natural coating agents. Based on concentrations, AKD 0.5%, PVA 10%, CMC 1.5%, corn starch 6% and oxidized starch 8% were appeared as the proper concentrations. W3 consider that AKD may be suitable for the storage of higher moisture vegetables and other food, and PVA may be suitable for higher oily fried food.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.301-305
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• 1987

Moderate halophilic bacteria isolated from several kinds of salted and fermented sea foods (jeotkal) collected from commercial market were identified and investigated on their selt requirements. It was confirmed that the isolates were dominantly moderate halophiles according to their NaCl requirement to grow. And their salt requirements in their growth have been examined for Na, K, Ni and mg ions. Among them, the most dominant and distinctive three strains in protease pro-duction have been examined and two of them identified to be halophilic Flavobacterium sp., and the other one to be halophilic Pseudomonas sp..1'heir optimum growth was observed at 3$0^{\circ}C$ and at 10 percent of NaCl.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.219-229
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• 2023

Consumer demand for products with health benefits and natural ingredients is significant for the expansion of functional foods. Edible films and coatings are an excellent way to diversify the market for functional foods and as substitutes for the prevailing packaging and products. Incorporation of whey protein (WP) and its active ingredients into edible films and coatings is a promising technique that can be applied to various food products. Numerous combinations can be used on an industrial scale depending on the purpose, product, nature of the film, type of active ingredient, and type of inclusions. In this review, we describe several characteristics of edible WP films and coatings used as novel packaging materials. WP-based packaging can play a beneficial role in sustainability because of the option of recycling materials rather than incinerating, as in synthetic laminates, because of the use of natural byproducts from the food industry as raw materials. However, cost-effectiveness is a driving force against industrial setbacks in current and future WP processing developments. The industrial application of this new technology depends on further scientific research aimed at identifying the mechanism of film formation to improve the performance of both the process and product. Furthermore, research such as consumer studies and long-term toxicity assessments are required to obtain significant market shares.