Swell seafood menus to stop consumers scaling back, gov’t urges

The Korean government urged local catering companies to increase their seafood menu offerings to offset a possible slump in demand following Japan's discharge of treated radioactive water from Fukushima.

President Yoon Suk Yeol's senior secretary for political affairs Lee Jin-bok, left, is seen having a meal featuring Korean seafood at the Yongsan Presidential Office cafeteria on the Monday. In an effort to address concerns related to the release of treated radioactive water from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and promote seafood consumption, the Presidential Office introduced domestic seafood to the cafeteria menu for a week starting from Monday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

The Korean government urged local catering companies to increase their seafood menu offerings to offset a possible slump in demand following Japan's discharge of treated radioactive water from Fukushima.

The government's push could still clash with consumers who lean toward shunning seafood after the release of the first tranche of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The government will convene a meeting on Wednesday to bring together key players in the Korean catering sector, including Samsung Welstory, Ourhome, Hyundai Green Food and CJ Freshway. These companies are primarily responsible for providing food to corporate cafeterias. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives are expected to collaborate with these businesses to come up with ways to bring seafood into their menus and formalize it with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Faced with the current state of public sentiment, catering firms find themselves in a difficult position as their expansion of seafood-based menu options could face a consumer backlash.

"Even if the government initiates discussions, the fact remains that Fukushima wastewater has already been released, thus practical consultations with our clients must be involved," one catering company, preferring anonymity, told the Korea JoongAng Daily on Monday. "Also the pricing and menus are pre-established by the client companies, so there is a limit to what we can control."

"In the catering industry, it is crucial to provide menus that align with customer preferences while ensuring safety," expressed another company official under the condition of anonymity. "Yet we have to consider the dilemma that the domestic seafood suppliers are facing."

Amid apprehensions about dwindling seafood consumption, the Presidential Office made a move, and starting Monday and continuing for a week, the cafeteria situated within the presidential compound will showcase lunch menus highlighting Korean seafood, including hairtail, conch, flatfish and mackerel.

"There was a surge of over 1.5 times the usual cafeteria usage for lunch on Monday, with many employees choosing to cancel external appointments in favor of dining within the premises," a spokesperson from the Presidential Office said.

Specific companies have embarked on campaigns to stimulate seafood intake, including the Korean shipbuilding company HD Hyundai.

HD Hyundai recently inked an agreement with the fisheries committee and Hyundai Green Food. It has introduced sea bass and abalone menus across 86 of its corporate cafeteria locations nationwide, including its R&D center in Pangyo, Gyeonggi.

Given that approximately 55,000 individuals within the HD Hyundai group consume meals daily, the anticipated additional consumption amount to 100 tons by year-end — representing approximately 6 percent of the sea bass and abalone quantities shipped the previous month.

"Given the coastal locations of our primary facilities, such as Ulsan and Gunsan, the consumption of rockfish and abalone has significantly dwindled, intensifying concerns among fishermen," an HD Hyundai official explained for the reason behind their initiative.

Senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye, left, is served a tray of sliced raw fish at the in-house cafeteria of the presidential office in Seoul on Monday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

The government is also exploring ways to stimulate seafood intake in a different arena — schools.

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries' Busan regional office recently conducted educational sessions for nutritionists from both public and private schools within Jeju on Fukushima's wastewater. Observers suggest that the scope of such educational initiatives could potentially expand to a national level.

These discussions have prompted some parents to voice concerns about the inclusion of seafood in school lunches.

"Perhaps the president doesn't understand, not having children of his own," read one comment in an online mom cafe, or an online community of mothers. "How can they contemplate incorporating seafood into school meals?"

Another read, "I've instructed my child to avoid consuming seaweed or seafood if they're presented in the school lunch. I'm now grappling with the decision of whether to pack a separate lunchbox."

However, the prospect of Japanese seafood being integrated into domestic school meal menus appears to be slim. Seafood varieties like scallop, constituting 80 percent of imported Japanese seafood, and species such as pollack and red seabream are excluded from school meal ingredients.

Korea has banned all seafood imports from eight Japanese prefectures near Fukushima since September 2013. Furthermore, imported Japanese food products from other regions undergo rigorous radiation checks upon entry. If even the slightest traces of radiation — 0.5 becquerel per kilogram or above — are detected, importers are required to submit an additional 17 certificates for nuclide inspection, including tritium.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]