FOOREND(Food Trend) Brief
February, 2026 – Korean Food Industry Highlights✨
1️⃣🌍 K-Food hits ₩3 trillion in cross-border sales🍜💰
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✔ Cross-border online purchases of Korean products by overseas consumers surpassed ₩3.02 trillion, officially breaking the ₩3 trillion mark
• Food & beverage sales surged +49.2% (₩112.9 billion), reaching an all-time high
• Cosmetics also grew (+20.4%) alongside K-Beauty, while fashion categories declined
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🧑🏻💬 K-Food no longer feels like just 'content' — it’s clearly becoming a global consumer staple. At this rate, craving Korean food abroad might be a thing of the past 🍽️
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✔ The viral Korean dessert Dubai-Chewy-Cookie has officially appeared in cafés across Dubai
• Locally introduced as “Korea’s viral chewy cookies,” priced at around 29 AED per piece (≈ USD 8)
• Sold alongside Korean fat macarons and lunchbox cakes, signaling the reverse export of K-dessert trends
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🧑🏻💬 As mentioned in our previous Dubai-Chewy-Cookie Report — born in Korea, named after Dubai… and now flying back there ✈️
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3️⃣🌱 K-Food now expanding into Africa📦🌶️
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✔ K-Food exports to Africa exceeded USD 130 million, growing at nearly 4× the global average rate
• Instant noodles (+18.4%) and kimchi (+14.9%) led growth, with strong demand in South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, and Morocco
• Major players like CJ CheilJedang, Nongshim, Orion, and Daesang are expanding via halal certification and local distribution
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🧑🏻💬 Africa feels less like a short-term revenue market and more like a long-term time investment. With a quarter of the world’s population projected to live there by 2050, early entry could pay off big 📈
4️⃣📺 Shin Ramyun makes a surprise appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live🍜🔥
✔ Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun appeared in a skit on ABC’s flagship talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!
• Framed as the cure for low energy, delivering “Spicy Happiness”
• The segment quickly went viral, drawing enthusiastic reactions across YouTube and social media
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🧑🏻💬 Shin Ramyun used to be a “you-know-it-if-you-know-it” product. Now, especially post K-Pop Demon Hunters, it feels like a full-blown pop-culture spicy icon 👀
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5️⃣🍘 Seaweed snacks go global — and business is booming🍙👀
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✔ Korean seaweed exports have grown 20%+ annually for three consecutive years, reaching a record USD 1.13 billion
• Shift from raw seaweed to snacks and ready-to-eat formats boosted margins and distribution power
• Low price volatility versus global grains positions seaweed as a stable core K-Food export ingredient
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🧑🏻💬 Thanks to overseas demand, Korea has officially entered the “₩150 per sheet of gim” era… Should we be happy or worried? 😂
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