SEOUL -- South Korea's food company Pulmuone was picked as the most respected domestic food maker by the Korea Management Association Consulting (KMAC), a major consulting group. The company has received an award from the non-profit organization, which recognizes outstanding companies based on their innovation capacity, shareholder value, and consumer trust.
Pulmuone secured the top position in the general food sector based on the KMAC's survey of 11,800 people conducted between September 2023 and December 2023. The survey involved 7,929 industry officials, 287 analysts, and 3,615 consumers. "As a company dedicated to both profit and the public interest, we will continue to strive for Pulmuone to be respected by various stakeholders through ESG (environmental, Social, and Governance) management, thereby creating economic, environmental, and social value," Pulmuone's strategic management division head Lee Woo-bong said in a statement on February 28.
The food firm also received the highest score among domestic food makers in the sustainability assessment by S&P Global, a New York-based credit rating agency, for last year. In the global sustainability evaluation, which involved 260 food companies, the Seoul-based food provider secured the fifth position. According to Pulmuone, the company showed strengths in risk and crisis management, supply chain management, water management, and health nutrition issues.
Pulmuone is known for its "Vegetable Earth Diet," a plant-based meat brand as its sustainable food. The food maker reported 43 billion won ($32.2 million) in sales for the Vegetable Earth Diet in August 2023, just a year after the brand's launch in August 2022. The vegan meat brand offers many different products, including soybean-based canned ham and ready-to-eat meals like soybean protein dumplings.