Rising prices and a weaker won have made diet-friendly meal planning more expensive for many consumers. The Korea SMEs and Startups Distribution Corp. said it is spotlighting lower-priced diet and low-sugar foods during the “April Companion Festival.”
The agency, known as KODC, said Saturday the event is intended to go beyond simple discounts by giving consumers a chance to manage household spending while supporting small businesses.
Among the featured products is “Dubunola” from Bijiterian. It replaces the oats typically used in granola with okara made from domestically produced soybeans, aiming to boost protein and dietary fiber. The company said one bag contains protein equivalent to three eggs and dietary fiber equivalent to six apples. Ingredients include coconut oil, peanut butter, maple syrup and honey, along with unrefined sugar, it said.
Sorang introduced its “low-sugar mini pound cake,” designed for consumers who like desserts but want to avoid flour. The company said it uses almonds and grain flour instead of wheat flour and contains no sugar. It comes in eight flavors: fig, mugwort, chocolate, sesame-peanut, carrot, sorghum-chickpea, pea-black sesame and lemon-Earl Grey.
Localow’s “Hottab all-purpose low-sugar gochujang” targets consumers seeking a lower-sugar alternative to traditional red pepper paste, which is typically made with grain syrup or corn syrup and contains natural sugars from peppers. The company said it replaced those sweeteners with allulose and added garlic flavor, cutting sugars by 8% compared with conventional gochujang. It said all ingredients are domestically sourced, including a fiber-rich fermented wheat ingredient from the Honam region and garlic harvested in a clean environment on Jeju Island.
Sseobol Lab is offering “Diet Fairy unsweetened Greek yogurt,” made after removing 100% of whey, the company said. It said the product uses domestically produced Grade 1 milk and Danish lactic acid bacteria, with a mild, clean taste and thick texture. The yogurt is unsweetened and contains no sweeteners or stabilizers, it said, and is produced at a HACCP-certified facility under a same-day production and shipping policy. A version with 50% of whey removed is also available, it said.
Hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and organized by KODC, the April Companion Festival runs through May 10 with about 33,000 small and midsize companies and small merchants participating, along with more than 200 domestic online and offline retail channels, KODC said.
KODC said promotions include discounts of up to 70% on popular items such as food, household goods and fashion across more than 90 online shopping platforms, including Kakao, Musinsa and Coupang. Offline, consumers can try products at special sales events in department stores and big-box retailers and buy items at discounts of up to 90%, it said.
A KODC official said the agency is also offering practical benefits to encourage participation during the event period, adding that plans include expanding discount limits for digital Onnuri gift certificates.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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