April 8, 2025 — With seaweed and Korean cuisine growing in popularity across the globe, CJ Foods — the No. 1 food company in South Korea — has announced its commitment to investing in land-based farming technology to ensure a safe, sustainable seaweed supply well into the future.
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| This seaweed cultivation tank is located at the CJ Foods R&D center in South Korea. |
In fact, seaweed grown using CJ Foods’ land-based farming
technology could reach consumers in the United States within the next few years
through the bibigo™ brand and its U.S.-based affiliate CJ Schwan’s (also known as Schwan's Company).
“At CJ Foods, we are researching land-based farming
technology as a means of developing sustainable seaweed for a full range of foods
distributed across the globe,” said Rajesh Potineni, a global research and
development executive of CJ Foods.
“Land-based farming not only provides a safe, reliable source of seaweed, but
it also strengthens our competitiveness in the global market.”
“CJ Foods has
identified seaweed food products as a strategic engine for global growth. CJ Foods is developing nutritious seaweed
products that will offer a wide range of options for our consumers,” said
Gregory Yep, CTO of CJ Foods.
The company already provides foods with seaweed as an
ingredient in the U.S. through bibigo, America’s No. 1 Korean brand, and
CJ Schwan’s. The focus on land-based seaweed farming will help ensure long-term
growth.
Land-based seaweed farming involves cultivating raw seaweed
in an indoor facility that replicates the marine environment.
Most recently, CJ Foods announced a collaboration with
Haenam County and Jeollanam-do Province in South Korea to develop a seaweed
seed production and land-based farming project. As a part of the agreement, the
South Korean government also announced significant investments through 2029 to
further develop technologies for producing high-quality seaweed using
land-based farming technology. CJ Foods has also announced plans to work with
academia such as Incheon National University and Jeju National University to
continue research.
CJ Foods has been working on land-based seaweed aquaculture
since 2018, when the company became the first in the Korean food industry to
develop related technologies. In 2022, the company successfully cultivated
seaweed in a 3-ton tank and developed plans to expand to 10 tons in 2025. Through
current agreements and technology advancements, CJ Foods expects it will soon
apply land-based seaweed to product portfolios such as seaweed snacks, a
category in which it intends to introduce new innovations in the near future.
About CJ Foods
CJ Foods, a business unit of CJ CheilJedang, is a global
food company delivering a variety of products ranging from foodstuffs and
frozen/chilled foods to appetizers. As the largest food company in South Korea
for decades, CJ Foods is now leading the globalization of Korean food with its
renowned “bibigo” brand. Under bibigo, it offers delicious K-food
products including Mandu (Korean-style dumpling), chicken, processed rice,
Korean sauce, Kimchi, Gim (seaweed), rolls and K-street food. For more
information, visit https://www.cj.co.kr/en/about/business/food.
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