FOODPOLIS Forms Consultative Body for Korean Food Companies with Export Support Organizations

Kim Deok-ho, chairman of FOODPOLIS. (Photos: FOODPOLIS)

The Korean National Food Cluster (FOODPOLIS) held the Export & Technology Working Group Meeting on March 11 in its conference room to help small and medium-sized Korean food companies make inroads into overseas markets, the body announced the following day.

Managers and experts from 10 regional export support agencies and FOODPOLIS officials attended the meeting to discuss ways to link the results of technology support projects to overseas expansion and cooperation measures.

During the meeting, the participants shared the status of companies that have completed product improvement and development through FOODPOLIS’ joint technology development and overseas certification support projects and discussed cooperation and linkage support measures to increase the possibility of these companies going global.

Lee Myeong-nam, head of the Business Division at the FOODPOLIS poses for a photo with other participants during the Export and Technology Meeting in FOODPOLIS’ conference room on Mar. 11.

In particular, they exchanged opinions on support measures linked with export support organizations such as buyer identification and connections, finding ways to overseas markets, and providing overseas marketing support for Korean companies that obtained overseas certifications achieve positive export results early.

Moreover, they discussed measures for cooperation to revitalize small Korean food companies’ exports. They exchanged opinions on cooperation, including information sharing and linking support projects among export support organizations.

“FOODPOLIS supports small Korean food companies’ product development and commercialization through technical support based on food manufacturing infrastructure,” a FOODPOLIS official said.

“We will cooperate with export support organizations to ensure that the results of our technical support lead the small Korean food companies to successfully break into overseas markets.”

“I expect this consultative body to serve as an opportunity to strengthen linked support among the export support organizations,” a participant said.

Recruitment of Companies for K-Food Exports

FOODPOLIS announced on Mar. 9 that it will recruit companies for the 2026 K-Food Export Junior Enterprise Support Program to help Korean food startups with excellent product ideas and technological capabilities enter overseas markets.

This program aims at helping Korean food companies go beyond the Korean market and respond to global demand for Korean foods. Notably, it focuses on a shift away from sales channel support and resolving technical hurdles during their export preparation stages.

Eligible applicants include companies in or having finished programs at the Food Venture Startup Center and companies that completed the Youth Startup Growth Support Program.

In particular, the agency plans to prioritize the selection of companies possessing regional strategic items such as kimchi, Korean sauces, and processed rice products or those utilizing regionally specialized agricultural products.

FOODPOLIS will provide the seven companies finally selected with customized solutions throughout the entire process, including one-on-one intensive coaching by specialized export support organizations, support for export planning and preparations and matching with local buyers and helping them signing export contracts with the local buyers.

Launch of 2026 Traditional Food Standardization Research Project

FOODPOLIS announced on Mar. 10 that it won the 2026 Traditional Food Standardization Research Project from the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service and began the full-scale implementation of the project.

This project will enhance the Korean traditional food industry’s competitiveness by reorganizing standards for Korean traditional foods and establishing specifications based on scientific evidence.

It will use an industry-academia-research cooperation system in which FOODPOLIS serves as the lead organization with participation from Sungshin Women’s University and the Korea Health Functional Food Association.

The research team for this project will analyze limitations found during the field application of existing standard specifications and establish improved standards that reflect actual manufacturing environments.

The study focuses on overhauling the standardization system for traditional foods and simultaneously pursues the establishment of new standards and the revision of existing ones.

In particular, FOODPOLIS will establish new standard specifications for Japchae and Chogochujang while revising existing standards on 17 items, including dried shiitake mushrooms.

The goal is to derive standards that ensure quality and safety while maintaining traditional characteristics.