ILSAN, KOREA - The KFS (Korea Food Show) 2013 (www.koreafoodshow.com) - hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and organized by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT), KFIA (Korea Food Industry Association) and KINTEX (Korea International Exhibition Center) - has kicked off at the second exhibition hall of KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
Under the theme “K-Food, Go beyond, Over the Food,” the KFS 2013, a four-day event from May 14 through 17, is designed to offer visitors the opportunity to read recent food industry trends and sound out the possibility of the Korean food industry’s scaled-up global expansion.
Above all, the KFS 2013 features a variety of exhibitions and cultural, academic events aimed to allow visitors to gain a comprehensive view of positive changes brought on by Korean food, which is expected to buttress the Korean government’s “creative economy” policy by achieving co-prosperity and shared growth.
The opening ceremony for the KFS 2013, held at Hall 6C of the second exhibition hall of KINTEX on May 14, from 12:00 p.m. to 01:30 p.m., was emceed by announcer Kim Beom-soo and attended by 200 dignitaries including Lee Dong-phil, Minister of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs and Kim Jae–soo, President of aT.
Delivering an opening speech, Kim Jae–soo, President of aT, called upon the public to regard Korean food with affection to soup up the Korean food industry’s global appeal even further.
“The KFS 2013 will serve as a venue where visitors get a glimpse of the Korean food industry’s version of creative economy. I hope the KFS 2013 could successfully shed light on Korean food’s advanced role, not simply as food we consume on a daily basis but as a means to sympathize with the world,” said Lee Dong-phil, Minister of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs at the opening ceremony.
The KFS 2013 also allows visitors to relish a rare opportunity to see invaluable exhibits, such as the world’s oldest seed rice “Sorori seed rice” and “Su Woon Job Bang,” Korea’s oldest cookbook that dates back to Joseon Dynasty.
The Sorori seed rice, which traces back 15,000 years to the Paleolithic Age, was discovered in Cheong-won, Chungbuk and was officially recognized as the world’s oldest seed rice by the International Archaeological Society in 2003.
Recipe book “Su Woon Job Bang,” which enables readers to take a peep at the Joseon ruling class’s food culture, contains nearly 200 recipes for various kinds of liquor, vinegar, kimchee, refreshments and broth and even how to grow vegetables.
The KFS 2013 has put up a themed pavilion comprised of four zones – Flow (Natural Food Zone), Convey (Traditional Food Zone), Spread (Cultural Food Zone) and Seek (Vision Food Zone).
In particular, the Shared Growth Pavilion was installed this year to explore ways to attain shared growth between SMEs and large companies.
In addition, Korean Drinks Festival, Asia Food Forum, Conference on Food Industry Future Outlook, Food Industry Recruitment Show and Export Consultation Meeting were simultaneously held. And a slew of side events, which drew participation from children, students and the underprivileged, took place on the sidelines of the KFS 2013, juicing up the entire event.
Yeon Dae-kyu, head of the Organizing Committee for the KFS 2013 said, “The KFS 2013 encompasses a reinterpretation of yesterday’s traditional wisdoms, today’s creative food industry driven by the sixth industry (a combination of the first, second and tertiary industries) and future outlook. The convergence of the food industry with the latest trends that permeate our lives, such as culture and information technology (IT), will be showcased at the KFS 2013.”
Export Consultation Meeting - Buy Korean Food
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT) held Export Consultation Meeting in connection to the KFS 2013 at KINTEX on May 14.
The Export Consultation Meeting was attended by nearly 220 international buyers from 26 nations including Japan, the US, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the EU, the Middle East, South America, Oceania, etc. aT expected that the Export Consultation Meeting would result in consultations worth over USD 65 million.
On May 14, one-on-one consultations were held between Korean food exporters and international buyers from 9:40 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On May 15, international buyers paid a visit to KFS exhibition booths in search of interesting items and had business meetings on the spot. In addition, international buyers were given opportunities to have hands-on experiences with Korea’s food industry and culture by making a short trip to each food company’s production site and having a taste of Korea’s food culture.
Park Jong-seo, Executive Director at aT said, “We will reinforce the capability of overseas aT centers and join forces with Korea’s diplomatic offices in overseas nations in order to discover new buyers and create new demands for Korean exports.”
Arjan Fioole from Mitro Fresh in the Netherlands has been importing mushrooms from the Asian market since 2008. “Among the Asian countries, Korean companies are key business partners with us. Korea’s food is slightly more expensive than Chinese food, but we prefer Korea’s products because of their superior quality. This is the second time we have participated in the Korea Food Show and it has been very helpful to have face-to-face meetings with Korean sellers. Through this meeting, we found several good companies to conduct business with.”
Rolf Rohrscheid from Niggermann in Germany is conducting business in the Korean market for the first time. “We came to learn about this exhibition through an email from the Ministry of Agriculture. We are particularly interested in aloes beverages, kimchi dumplings and also seasonal fruits that are grown in Korea and not available in Germany. The quality of Korean food quality is quite high. If the fee to ship the products to Germany is reasonable, we will strongly consider importing Korean food.”
