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| Twenty five frozen fried rice products are displayed on a table at the headquarters of the Korea Consumer Agency in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong Province, on Jan. 10. Courtesy of Korea Consumer Agency |
By Kim Jae-heun
A 28-year-old barista surnamed Lee eats frozen foods at his work place from time to time, given that he doesn't have enough time to cook or rest during his lunch break.
"I often eat fried rice foods that come in a frozen pack because they are ready-made and they only take two to three minutes to defrost. I kind of know they are not good for my health because they contain a high level of sodium, so I shouldn't eat too much of them," Lee said.
A 36-year-old office worker whose surname is Kim is also concerned about her children's health as she must spend the majority of her day in the office while her young son and daughter cook (frozen food) for themselves at home.
"I can barely cook my children lunch when they return from school, so I stock up on various fried rice foods in the freezer for them to eat. Of course, I know they are not nutritious, but I don't have many options because I can't tell my kids they need to cook (for themselves)," Kim said.
As consumers assumed, most of the frozen fried rice products were found to be lacking in nutrients and contained high levels of sodium.
According to the Korea Consumer Agency's recent investigation, 25 fried rice items manufactured by major food firms here lacked enough carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.
Frozen fried rice products' calories per serving varied between 219 kilocalories (kcal) and 510 kcal, which is about 33 percent to 76 percent of the 667 kcal that is recommended by the health authority.
Their carbohydrate content was between 33 grams to 99 grams, varying from 31 percent to 92 percent of the standard recommended amount, while their protein content was 7.9 grams to 20.1 grams, which is 44 percent to 112 percent of the recommended level.
Ottogi's frozen shrimp fried rice contained the smallest amount of protein with just 7.9 grams per serving.
However, the sodium content of 25 frozen foods, based on one serving, ranged from 440 milligrams to 1,615 milligrams ― the latter being more than double the officially recommended amount per serving of 667 milligrams.
Coupang private food brand CPLB beef fried rice contained the highest level of sodium among 25 products with 1,615 milligrams, which is 242 percent the standard recommended level.
CPLB promised the Korea Consumer Agency it would lower the sodium content in its frozen fried rice products after the results of the study were revealed.
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