Vegan on the rise in Korea

Is it possible to call yourself a vegetarian while eating meat? This may seem contradictory, but it is actually the essence of 'sustainable vegetarianism', a practice that modern people need more than ever. As the proverb goes, "The world needs ten more imperfect vegetarians than one perfect one," everyone's small thoughts and actions are now contributing to a healthy coexistence with the earth.

Kim Yong-seop, director of the Sharp Imagination Research Institute, which forecasts trends, predicted in 2017 Life Trends 2017 that "vegetarianism is also a preference." He said, "In the past, 'vegetarians' were seen as fussy people, but now in Korea, vegetarianism is respected as a trendy 'choice,' which means that people have their own criteria for what they eat."

Some people choose to eat vegetarian for their health, while others do so for the environment or animal welfare. As the number of vegetarians grows, vegetarianism is becoming a culture rather than an oddity.

Imperfect vegans are also good

We often use the term 'vegan' to refer to vegetarians. However, this is just a general name. In fact, there are several levels of vegetarianism. Among them, 'vegans' are those who eat only vegetables and fruits. They don't eat meat, dairy products such as milk and cheese, or even eggs. 'Lacto' vegetarians eat milk, dairy products, and honey. 'Lacto-ovo' vegetarians also eat eggs. Vegetarians who eat dairy, eggs, fish, and seafood are called 'pesco', and those who eat seaweed are called 'polo'. The final level, 'flexitarian', is short for 'flexible vegetarian', which refers to vegetarians who eat red meat such as pork and beef.

Recently, it is flexitarians who are driving the 'vegetarian craze' and the 'vegan craze' in our food culture. They are sometimes called 'intermittent vegetarians', because they usually eat vegetarian, but sometimes eat meat. The 'occasion' when they consume meat is at a social gathering with many people. This is because they don't want to bother the restaurant with a special menu for one person or to make the others who eat with them feel uncomfortable.

Lee Hyun-joo, a herbal pharmacist who has been promoting 'Meatless Mondays' since 2010 and author of '30 Days of Intermittent Vegetarianism', said, "There are many people who want to quit meat because of various issues such as climate change, food safety, animal welfare, and health, but it is not easy to give up meat completely at once."

You may think that a vegetarian diet of just one day a week would not make much difference, but if 1,8300 employees of Seoul City Hall eat a vegetarian meal (52 meals) once a week based on three meals a day, 365 days a year (a total of 1,095 meals), it will have the effect of planting 70,000 one-year-old pine trees and saving 8% of the electricity used by the Seoul Metropolitan Government Office for one year.

Korea's first vegan fashion brand, Vegan Tiger, is creating a cycle of coexistence and ethical consumption for the planet through sustainable materials that do not use materials produced by exploiting humans or animals, such as fur. (c) Vegan Tiger

The influence of the MZ generation

The reason for vegan on the rise in recent years is due to the tendency of the MZ generation, which has more impact on society as a whole. Generation Z, which has its own principles that are different from the older generation in many ways, values 'health' and practices their own 'conceptual consumption'. They have created new terms such as 'ohaun' and 'healthy pleasure' and are interested in plant-based foods instead of meat, which is high in cholesterol and saturated fat.

This is because they care about sustainable "good food" as the "mining-out generation" who believe that people, animals, and plants should live in harmony on earth. The industry has to follow the consumers' wishes.

Looking forward to meat alternatives

The 'vegan craze' is also why food tech startups and traditional food companies alike have joined the production of 'alternative meat', which is the future of food. Meat substitutes are made from non-animal ingredients that mimic meat in shape and texture. The rise and growth of meat substitutes are linked to various factors such as carbon emissions, environmental pollution, and animal welfare.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), greenhouse gas emissions from livestock worldwide make up 14.5% of total emissions, while cattle-related greenhouse gas emissions make up 65% of all livestock. If we look at the 'carbon footprint', which refers to the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activities and the whole process of making and consuming goods, especially carbon dioxide, the food with the highest carbon dioxide emissions per kg is beef (99.48 kg), compared to rice (4.45 kg), tofu (3.16 kg), tomatoes (2.09 kg), and potatoes (0.46 kg). The reason why the MZ generation, which is active in eco-friendliness, welcomes meat substitutes without hesitation is because of the serious damage to the ecosystem and global warming that happens in the meat production process.

Although it is still small, the domestic food industry, which needs to secure the future market with high growth potential and lead the practice of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) management, is accelerating the development of its own meat alternatives. Startups specializing in meat alternatives have launched brands such as UNLIMEAT, ALTIST, AND WEMEET, and are exporting them to the U.S. and Asia. Traditional food companies such as Shinsegae Food, CJ CheilJedang, Pulmuone, and Nongshim have also entered the meat substitute market seriously since 2021.

Due to the marine ecosystem that is severely polluted by heavy metals and microplastics that have flowed into the sea, there is a growing interest in 'alternative seafood' made from plants such as beans and tomatoes. In mid-November 2021, convenience store CU launched "Vegetarian Mayo Triangle Gimbap" and "Vegetarian Mayo Gimbap" with plant-based tuna, which are so popular that sales are more than four times higher than existing vegetarian products

Vegan on the rise in life

The 'vegan craze' doesn't stop at food. Even in everyday consumer goods, products that do not use animal ingredients are flooding in. Vegan-certified cosmetics using only natural plant ingredients have created a new category called 'clean beauty'.

To protect animals that lose their lives for leather and at the same time reduce environmental pollution caused by the process of making leather, more and more fashion brands are using 'vegan leather' made from plant-based materials such as pineapple peels, seaweed, cacti, and corn.

Vegan Tiger, Korea's first vegan fashion brand with the slogan 'Cruelty Free', hand-picks 100% animal-free materials and makes them by hand by domestic artisans. By using plant-based rayon instead of silk and artificial fur to end the suffering of animals sacrificed for fur production, the company is making a variety of clothes without using animal materials, expanding consumers' choices. Vegan leather brand Wicked Rubber offers shoes and bags made of cactus leather, which is more flexible, durable, and resilient than regular leather, and is naturally waterproof and lightweight.

The term "vegetable leather" has emerged in the local fashion industry. It refers to leather that is made from animal skins with an eco-friendly focus. To turn raw animal skins into leather that can be used commercially, they need to go through a tanning process. Vegetable leather uses tanning that extracts fibers from plants, instead of using chrome tanning that involves harmful heavy metals.

Vegan on the rise across various aspects of life, including food, shows the MZ generation's preference for ethical and conceptual consumption, even if it costs more. They prioritize social good and future benefits over personal gain or satisfaction. They care deeply about the health of themselves and the planet. I hope that companies will not exploit this sincerity as a marketing gimmick, but will respond with ongoing research.

After introducing shoes and bags made from cactus leather 'kappi', WICKED LOVER  has launched bags made from HEMPY™, a material that was created to replace cotton. This material is a blend of hemp and recycled poly, and it is both eco-friendly and functional. (c) WICKED LOVER ®

Melixir, a 100% vegan cosmetic product, uses Korean ingredients from plants such as bamboo, rice, and green tea. Moreover, from the production process to the packaging that will be thrown away after using the product, the packaging is made from recyclable materials. (c) Vegan cosmetics melixir

(Source)