This research was carried out as part of a 5-year research project to find out the current issues of the food industry and affiliated upstream and downstream industries and present development strategies to make agriculture a high added value-creating industry. The research also aimed to provide basic data necessary for research and development of pertinent food policies in the future. Development strategies are presented based on an analysis of correlations between upstream and downstream business activities in different stages of the food processing chain. The processing industries of meat, milk, kimchi, and solar salt were the target industries for study in the 3rd year of the research project in consideration of their importance in the supply and demand of agricultural products in the domestic market.
In this report, the current issues of the meat processing industry were derived by analyzing the market structure, the state of business entities, and consumer survey results, and future market prospects, visions, and objectives are laid out. Finally, development strategies are presented to achieve the objectives.
Approximately 22% of the pork supplied in the domestic market including imported pork is used as the raw material for meat-processed products. But in terms of market value, it only accounts for no more than 5% level due to significant price difference between the pork for processing and the pork for roasting. The shipment revenue of the meat processing industry (including meat storage and processing business) has increased by 15% on an annual average basis since 2000 and is estimated to be 4 trillion 76 million won in 2009. The meat processing industry has an industry structure of small businesses as the proportion of businesses with less than 10 employees reaches 60%. The industry's value-added has increased double over a 10-year period with an annual increase rate of 11.3% on average. The meat processing industry has a market structure in the form of oligopoly as the market concentration ratio of top 3 and 7 corporations reaches 30% and 43% respectively.
As to the purchase of raw materials, the proportion of direct purchase by meat processing companies at production sites stands at 25% level and 50% of that direct purchase is made through contract-based cultivation, which means that meat processing companies' linkage with raw material producers is weak. The proportion of meat sold by meat processing companies under their own brand name is very high at 75% level while buyers of their products are diversified to include wholesalers, large distribution companies, small and medium-sized distribution companies and restaurants.
Consumer survey results have revealed that consumers' negative perception of processed livestock products is high, so it seems necessary to use various means of publicity, such as image advertising, exposition of scientific research results and other forms of publicity support, to improve consumers' perception of processed livestock products.
The current issues meat processing companies are facing are as follows. First, the consumers' perception that processed meat products may not be nutritious and healthy is high and thus its consumption is decreasing. Second, since the meat processing industry is simply pursuing a production strategy focused on the B2C market, not much progress is made in product differentiation that targets diversified markets such as the future-promising eating-out market. Third, due to insufficient linkage with raw material suppliers, there is no systemic means to facilitate stable supply of meat when needed. Fourth, R&D investment and pertinent infrastructure for new product development are insufficient. Fifth, there are many legal and systemic constraints, such as the dual control system of processed meat products and the prohibition of small portion selling of processed meat products.
It is predicted that the processed meat market will either be stagnant or increase a little in the foreseeable future while the demand for safe and healthy products increases. Accordingly, the objective which the industry has to pursue will have to be the generation of high added values through production of consumer-oriented products and increase of exports. The detailed strategies to implement to accomplish the objective are as follows:
First, it is necessary to develop a variety of products, such as additive-free, low-fat healthy products, tailor-made products, ready-to-eat products, and ready-to-cook products. Second, high quality and safe meat for use as raw material should be secured by establishing partnerships with contracted farmers while pursuing quality enhancement and saving production cost by making meat processing companies bigger to have economy of scale and fostering the companies as specialized business affiliates. Third, it is necessary to build an infrastructure, such as policy support for solving export quarantine problems, cultivation of manpower through the establishment of technical schools for meat processing, and R&D support. Fourth, the management systems for processed livestock products should be unified under the "Livestock Products Sanitation Management Act" while simplifying the classification types of livestock products to be suitable for market situation and revising the standards for livestock product processing and the specification of ingredients to a future-oriented, advanced country type. In addition, it is necessary to allow the sale of small portions of processed livestock products like in advanced countries and mitigate the standards set for non-detection of microorganisms in raw meat while invigorating the stagnant processed meat market by allowing in-store manufacturing and selling of processed livestock products.



Researchers: Ji-Hyeon Choi, So-Hyun Cho
E-mail address: jihchoi@krei.re.kr