Ramyeon opened the door to Europe. The category walking through it next looks different: vegan and fermented Korean food, and vegan kimchi is already on the market.
Sales of meat and dairy alternatives in Europe's six largest markets reached EUR 4.75 billion in 2025, up 3.3% from the year before, according to GFI Europe and Circana data. The aisle is still growing, with taste and quality leading.
Kimchi, gochujang, and doenjang are built on fermented vegetables and soy with their own flavour identity, and vegan versions can sit in the plant-based aisle without a meat analogue positioning.
Yes. At K-Food Fair Frankfurt 2026, 55 buyers from 19 countries held 583 buyer meetings, according to MAFRA and aT. That is a buying delegation, not a consumer showcase.
Vegan kimchi replaces marine ingredients such as fish sauce and salted shrimp with plant-based alternatives. CJ CheilJedang's Bibigo sliced kimchi, for example, is made without jeotgal, the salted seafood used in traditional kimchi.
Kimchi exports set a record of USD 163.6 million in 2024, with shipments to the Netherlands, the UK and France growing, and reached a preliminary record of USD 164.4 million in 2025, per MAFRA and Korea Customs Service.
Vegan and fermented K-Food is moving from showcase toward the shelf. The sourcing question is which Korean producers already hold vegan certification and EU labelling at volume.
Traditional kimchi usually contains fish sauce or salted shrimp, so it is not. Vegan kimchi replaces those with plant-based ingredients and is already on the market.
Kimchi exports to the Netherlands, the UK and France grew in 2024. GFI Europe tracks plant-based sales across the six largest markets, including Germany, the UK, France and the Netherlands.
