S. Korea's Chicken Soup Exports Jump 82%

South Korea's exports of packaged traditional chicken soup reached US$4.82 million over the January-April period, jumping by 82.2 percent from last year.

There is a growing demand for ready-to-eat products around the globe due to the pandemic-led lockdowns.

The United States had the biggest appetite for traditional chicken soup or samyetang, accounting for $2.1 million packages, trailed by Japan with $1.19 million, according to the data compiled by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp.

Canada and Hong Kong followed $500,000 each.

South Korea only started to ship the products to Canada in February.

South Korea also ships the products to China, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates and three other countries.

The latest increase was due to the growing demand for packaged foodstuffs as people are forced to stay inside their homes. The food's health aspect also contributed to boosting sales.

Samgyetang contains a whole young chicken, ginseng, garlic, and sticky rice.

South Korea's exports of processed foodstuffs rose 46.3 percent in April to $294 million, with outbound shipments of instant noodles soaring 52.3 percent.