Reducing Sizes and Lowering Prices...The 'Slimming Down' Trend in Food Led by Single-Person Households

Small-sized and Individually Packaged Products Become Popular in Processed Foods
Rising Number of One- and Two-person Households, Growing Demand for Small Portions
Consumer Trend Focused on Reducing Waste
Launch of 110g Hetbahn and 200ml Cup Coffee
Lower Prices Expected to Reduce Grocery Spending

The 'slimming down' trend is spreading in the convenience food market. More products, especially processed foods, are being offered in smaller quantities and at lower prices than before, as companies introduce practical options. This strategy targets single-person or small households, as well as consumers who want to eat less and manage their health, while also aiming to ease the burden on consumers whose purchasing power has decreased due to persistent high prices.

Hetbahn Soft Mini Rice. Provided by CJ CheilJedang

According to the basic analysis report on food consumption behavior released by the Korea Rural Economic Institute on September 12, demand for bulk purchases in the food sector is decreasing, while the share of consumers seeking smaller, individually packaged items is on the rise. For example, the proportion of consumers purchasing vegetables in small packages rose by about 10 percentage points, from 48.5% in 2024 to 57.7% last year, while those buying in bulk fell from 51.1% in 2024 to 42% last year.

During the same period, the share of fruit purchases in small packages increased from 52.9% to 60.1%, while bulk fruit purchases fell from 45.7% to 37.9%. The trend was similar for nuts: small-pack purchases rose from 53.4% to 57.2%, while bulk purchases dropped from 27.8% to 18.9%. An industry insider explained, "When there were more family members and cooking at home was more common than eating out, buying large amounts of cost-effective products and stocking up the fridge was seen as smart consumption. However, with one- or two-person households now prevalent, there's a growing perception that buying only a little at a time as needed is more economical."

Indeed, in a survey conducted by Embrain Trend Monitor of 1,000 men and women aged 19 to 69 nationwide, 22.9% of respondents said they had experienced throwing away products purchased in large quantities from warehouse clubs or discount stores because they couldn't finish them all. The experience was especially common among single-person households, where 28.7% reported such waste, compared to 21.1% for two- to three-person households, and 22.5% for households with four or more people. This shows that the smaller the household, the greater the burden associated with buying bulk products.

Additionally, over half of respondents (54.3%) said they had difficulty handling leftover food or household goods at some point, with single-person households again reporting this problem more frequently (61.5%) than two- to three-person households (53.0%) or households with four or more people (52.5%). Fewer household members clearly correlates with greater difficulty managing leftover items.

The distribution industry is now reflecting this shift by expanding its range of small-sized and individually packaged products. CJ CheilJedang recently released "Hetbahn Soft Mini Rice," a 110g easy-to-cook white rice product. This is roughly half the standard 210g serving of regular Hetbahn, and even smaller than the 130g product launched in 2004. CJ CheilJedang noted, "This is an option that anyone can enjoy comfortably, whether you are dieting, prefer smaller portions, want to control your rice intake, or just want a light side of rice with a salad or main dish." According to Nielsen market data, demand for smaller portions of easy-cook rice continues to grow, with the market share for small (130g) servings increasing from the 9% range in the first half of 2024 to the 16% range in the first half of this year.

Namyang Dairy Products' 'French Cafe Devil's Temptation' 200ml 2 types. Provided by Namyang Dairy Products

Namyang Dairy Products also launched two new ready-to-drink (RTD) cup coffee products, "French Cafe Devil's Temptation" (Cafe Latte and Vanilla Latte), in 200ml servings last month. This is 50ml less than the existing 250ml size, and is priced in the 900-won range, down from over 1,300 won previously. In addition, in July, Ourhome added an 800g small package targeted at one- and two-person households to its signature kimchi "Ourhome God Seokbakji," alongside the original 1.5kg size.

A food industry official commented, "There's controversy when companies maintain the same price but shrink a product's size—a phenomenon known as 'shrinkflation.' However, with small-sized and small-package products, the purchase price is also reduced, which expands consumer choice and helps lower the burden of grocery shopping."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.