Government supports discounts on processed foods…Up to 57% off

[26.08.03] Government and 10 Major Food Companies Partner for Up to 57% Discount on 3,838 Processed Food Items in August — All-Out Effort to Ease Summer Vacation Grocery Costs

The South Korean government and major domestic food corporations are taking large-scale action to relieve consumer grocery burdens during the peak summer vacation season. On August 3, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) officially announced that in partnership with 10 leading food manufacturers, it will launch a month-long promotion throughout August offering discounts of up to 57% on 3,838 processed food products, including instant noodles, ready meals, beverages, snacks, and ice cream. This public-private joint price-stabilization initiative targets the summer holiday period when dining out and travel expenses usually strain household budgets amid ongoing inflation.

1. Public-Private Collaboration Between MAFRA and 10 Food Giants: Nationwide August Discounts on 3,838 Processed Food Items

Amid continuing price increases for dining out and food products, MAFRA designed this nationwide promotion as a practical price-stabilization initiative that consumers can directly feel in their daily lives. The month-long campaign runs from August 1 to August 31 across major offline and online retail channels, including hypermarkets, convenience stores, and e-commerce platforms nationwide.

Ten leading industry giants driving South Korea's food market are fully participating in this joint venture: CJ CheilJedang, Lotte Chilsung Beverage, Ottogi, Nongshim, Paldo, Pulmuone Foods, Coca-Cola, Orion, Sempio Foods, and Binggrae.

The promotion covers a vast array of 3,838 items heavily consumed during vacations and outdoor activities. These range from meal replacements—such as instant noodles, pre-cooked rice, noodles, frozen foods, tofu, and kimchi—to snacks, soft drinks, coffee, and ice cream products.

Both the government and participating companies selected high-demand essential goods to maximize the tangible impact on shoppers. Retailers are coordinating special promotional displays to align with peak vacation traffic. This joint initiative reflects a strong commitment from both public and private sectors to boost consumer sentiment suppressed by high inflation and provide meaningful relief to household finances.

Massive Processed Food Discounts Throughout August! MAFRA and 10 top food manufacturers have joined forces to offer discounts of up to 57% on 3,838 essential items, including instant noodles, beverages, and ready meals.

2. Steep Reductions on Staples and Meal Replacements: Up to 50% Off at CJ CheilJedang, Ottogi, and Nongshim

In the high-demand category of staple foods and instant meals, major manufacturers built extensive product lineups offering substantial price cuts. CJ CheilJedang is applying discounts of up to 50% across 1,256 items—the largest selection in the event—including instant rice, frozen convenience foods, processed meats, noodles, tofu, and kimchi.

Ottogi is offering discounts of up to 50% on 392 items, covering staple products such as instant ramen, instant rice, noodles, curry mixes, cooking oils, and condiments.

Nongshim is lowering prices by up to 33% on 104 popular products, including packet ramen, cup noodles, and snacks, while Paldo is cutting prices by up to 33% across 372 noodle and beverage products depending on retail channels. Pulmuone Foods is partnering with supermarkets to present up to half-price savings on 264 items—such as tofu, meal kits, dumplings, and noodles—and Sempio Foods is slashing prices by up to 50% on 372 cooking sauces, seasonings, and pasta lines across hypermarkets and online platforms.

With price cuts extending to home meal replacements (HMR) and cooking essentials, these measures provide significant relief for everyday meal preparation costs. Consumers can now purchase frequently used food ingredients in larger quantities at far lower prices. By directly lowering prices on core food staples, the initiative is expected to ease the inflationary pressure built up during the first half of the year.

Up to 50% Off Staples & Seasonings! Major brands—including CJ CheilJedang (1,256 items), Ottogi (392 items), and Sempio (372 items)—are offering half-price discounts on ramen, instant rice, and sauces to significantly cut dining expenses.

3. Drastic Price Cuts on Summer Refreshments: Lotte Chilsung Leads with Up to 57% Off

Top-tier discount rates are being applied to beverages, ice cream, and snacks, where demand surges during summer outdoor activities, catching the eye of vacationers. Lotte Chilsung Beverage offers the highest discount rate of the campaign, up to 57%, across 692 beverage products including colas, ciders, sports drinks, and ready-to-drink coffee.

Coca-Cola is also providing savings of up to 50% across 209 essential vacation beverage products, including Coca-Cola, Fanta, Powerade, and Toreta.

Ice cream and snack lineups designed to beat the heat are equally well-represented. Binggrae is reducing prices by up to 33% at hypermarkets and convenience stores across 76 products, including popular ice cream lines, coffee drinks, flavored milk, and cheese products. Orion is supplying 101 items—such as biscuits, pies, gummies, and drinks—at a 33% discount through convenience store networks.

Because these price reductions coincide with peak demand for cool drinks and desserts during heatwaves, consumers are feeling immediate relief at checkout counters. Major convenience stores and marts are actively promoting bundled deals on drinks and frozen treats. This serves as a key measure to curb discretionary snack and refreshment spending at vacation spots.

Special Sales on Beverages & Summer Snacks! Lotte Chilsung Beverage leads with discounts up to 57%, while Coca-Cola (50%), Binggrae (33%), and Orion (33%) significantly lower refreshment costs for summer travelers.

4. Government Pledges Continued Public-Private Cooperation for Price Stability and Economic Vitality

The government plans to combine these promotional efforts with close monitoring and inspection to ensure that the campaign sets a broader tone for market-wide price stability rather than remaining a short-term event.

Jeong Kyeong-seok, Director General of the Food Industry Policy Bureau at MAFRA, stated, "Since food expenditure increases during the summer vacation season due to outings and travel, we hope this event offers real relief to consumer grocery budgets."

He added, "We will continue to work closely with the food industry to maintain visible price-stabilization efforts that the public can genuinely feel in their daily lives," reaffirming the commitment to long-term public-private partnership.

The retail industry also expects this massive processed food promotion to boost overall summer consumer spending and drive foot traffic to retail stores, leading to aggressive marketing campaigns. Consumers can maximize savings by checking discount items and benefits specific to each sales channel (hypermarkets, convenience stores, and e-commerce platforms) before shopping. Beyond August, the government and industry plan to closely manage the supply and demand of key agricultural, livestock, fisheries, and processed food products to maintain overall food price stability.

Price Stability & Domestic Consumption Boost! The government announced plans to deepen ties with the food sector to ease summer dining expenses and maintain steady price management across essential food categories.

Participating Company	Main Discount Items & Quantity	Max Discount Rate
1. CJ CheilJedang	Instant meals, frozen ready meals, processed meats, noodles, tofu, kimchi (1,256 items)	Up to 50%
2. Lotte Chilsung Beverage	Colas, ciders, sports drinks, coffee drinks (692 items)	Up to 57%
3. Ottogi	Instant ramen, instant rice, noodles, curry mixes, cooking oil, sauces (392 items)	Up to 50%
4. Sempio Foods	Soy sauces, specialty sauces, seasonings, pasta lines (372 items)	Up to 50%
5. Paldo	Packet ramen, cup noodles, beverage products (372 items)	Up to 33%
6. Pulmuone Foods	Tofu, instant cooked meals, dumplings, noodles (264 items)	Up to 50%
7. Coca-Cola	Coca-Cola, Fanta, Powerade, Toreta (209 items)	Up to 50%
8. Nongshim	Packet ramen, cup noodles, snacks (104 items)	Up to 33%
9. Orion	Snacks, pies, gummies, drinks (101 items)	Up to 33%
10. Binggrae	Ice cream products, coffee, flavored milk, cheese (76 items)	Up to 33%

[Key Takeaways] 5 Summary Points on August Processed Food Discounts

1. 3,838 Items Discounted: MAFRA and 10 major food manufacturers cooperate to offer month-long discounts throughout August.

2. Up to 57% Off: Lotte Chilsung offers up to 57% off, while CJ, Ottogi, Sempio, Pulmuone, and Coca-Cola offer up to 50% off.

3. Essential Food Included: Half-price savings applied across meal staples like ramen, instant rice, tofu, kimchi, and cooking sauces.

4. Vacation Refreshments Lowered: Steep discounts focused on summer high-demand items including drinks, ice cream, coffee, and snacks.

5. Consumer Price Relief: Designed to lighten summer food expense burdens and maintain ongoing public-private price monitoring.

Related Tags (9): August_3_2026, ProcessedFoodDiscounts, MAFRA, GroceryPriceStabilization, CJCheilJedangDiscounts, LotteChilsungBeverageDiscounts, OttogiDiscounts, NongshimDiscounts, SummerVacationPriceCountermeasures