Korean Dairy Products In 2021, Korea’s dairy exports were USD 170.49 million. Among them, infant formula accounts for the most at 61%, and raw milk and condensed milk each account for around 10%. Korean dairy products are drawing attention from people around the world since they use a variety of crude milk and pursue safety as their top priority. Unique milk products with different tastes and scents, such as banana flavored milk, are often posted on social media of people around the world.  

#Growing Fermented Milk Made from High-Quality Milk

Milk is the basic raw ingredient of dairy products. In 2021, milk exports were USD 14.19 million. 80% of Korea’s milk exports is from Yonsei Dairy, which exports milk mainly to China and Southeast Asia such as Vietnam and Indonesia. Yonsei Dairy’s ‘Milk Talk Yonsei Dairy Farm Milk’, a product for export to China, has been recognized for its quality and received the Superior Taste Award for two years in a row in the dairy product category of the International Taste Institute this year. Seoul Milk Cooperative ranked first in the milk category in the Korean Premium Brand Index for 10 consecutive years. It produces ‘Seoul Milk,’ which is a premium milk using crude milk with a germ count of 1A and a somatic cell count of grade 1. Products with flavor added to milk are also popular.
Banana flavored milk, coffee flavored milk, and strawberry flavored milk released by Yonsei dairy, Seoul Milk Cooperative, and Binggrae Co., Ltd. especially evoke the curiosity of overseas consumers who are used to white milk. Binggrae’s ‘Banana Flavored Milk’ entered the Japanese market for the first time among Korean dairy products and sold over  USD 19.15 million in sales in China. Yogurt is a dairy product fermented with lactic acid bacteria in milk. The size of Korean fermented milk market has been growing at an average annual rate of 1.9% over the past five years. It is analyzed that consumption of fermented milk such as yogurt has grown with rising attention to health trends.
Last year, the Korean fermented milk market share was in the order of by ‘Will’ of hy Co., Ltd., ‘Yogurt’ of Seoul Milk Cooperative, ‘Bulgari’ of Namyang Dairy Products Co., Ltd. and ‘Yoplait’ of Binggrae. ‘Will’ is introduced as even fermented milk can keep the stomach healthy, and ‘Yogurt is 65 ml, so it can be consumed at once. Recently, plain yogurt mixed with nuts is also emerging.

#Korean Infant Formula Safety First

Korean infant formula is very popular all over the world. In 2021, infant formula exports were USD 105.25 million, a 15.8% increase from 2019. The safety of infant formula is important since it is food for infants and young children, and Korean infant formula has high reliability in food safety. Namyang Dairy manages its products according to the EU’s international safety standards, and Maeil Dairies Co., Ltd. tests all baby food products for radiation risk factors.
Also, the Korea Consumer Agency investigated the status of infant formula safety in Korea and announced in 2019 the decent hygiene condition of infant formula products since food poisoning bacteria such as salmonella were not detected. Main products include Maeil Dairy’s ‘Absolute’ which cultured 2-FL, a self-defense ingredient found in breast milk, for the first time in Korea; Namyang Dairy’s ‘I’m Mother’, which contains three proteins that make up 70% of breast milk protein such as beta-casein and lactoferrin, and ‘Pasteur withMom’ of Lotte Confectionery Co., Ltd., which contains multi-live lactic acid bacteria and plant-based DHA. In addition, the diversification of crude milk of infant formula is a characteristic of Korean infant formula. For infants and toddlers with milk protein allergy, products made with goat milk or low-fat milk stand out. ‘Foodis Goat Milk Infant Formula’ produced by Ildong Foodis uses goat milk from New Zealand, a developed country in dairy farming, and contains prebiotics that help gut health. Ivenet has launched the ‘Golden Jersey series’ made from Jersey cow’s milk. Jersey cow was improved to make milk for the British royal family; its skim milk powder contains A2 beta-casein in breast milk, so it is easy to digest, and has a soft texture thanks to its high milk fat content. Based on these advantage, Korean infant formula is expanding its export market beyond China, the largest exporter, to Southeast Asia.

#Another Dairy Product, Cheese & Ice Cream

There are diverse dairy products in Korea. A main product is soymilk. Since it is a plant-based drink, it is a milk substitute that can be chosen by those who prefer vegans or cannot digest milk. ‘Whole Soy Milk’ of Hanmi Healthcare Inc. contains only 100% Korean soybeans with the original nutrients as is. It is known as premium soymilk by adding postbiotics, new lactic acid bacteria that helps gut health. Cheese is also a major dairy product. Seoul Milk Cooperative sells ‘Enfant Organic Baby Cheese’ tailored to each age group, which uses organic sliced-cheese certified as organic processed food. Cube cheese is also drawing attention as the single drinking culture spreads as the influence of COVID-19. Danmeefood’s ‘Rainbow Cube Cheese Mix’ is a 3.3 g cube-shaped cheese with not only the original cheese, but also with 7 fruit flavors such as strawberry, mango, banana and melon to cheese. It is great for snacks as well as snacks for children, and it has a long shelf life of one year because it is stored frozen. Ice cream cannot be skipped when it comes to dairy products. The famous one is Korea’s first organic ice cream from Bumsan Dairy Farm, the No. 1 eco-certified ranch that makes ice cream with organic milk. Bumsan Dairy Farm also makes organic yogurt, organic cheese, and organic milk tea. Assifood releases ‘Assi’ brand’ice creams, such as ‘Coconut flavored ice bar’, ‘Banana flavored ice bar’, and ‘Melon flavored ice bar’. With the name ‘Assi,’ a Korean term for a young, unmarried woman, Assifood aims for a sophisticated, polished style of Korean food.