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THE EUROPEAN UNION LAUNCHES ITS FIRST RESTAURANT ACTIVATION IN KOREA: “TASTY EUROPE IN SEOUL”

21.03.2022
Seoul, March 14, 2022
Press and information team of the Delegation to the Republic of Korea

A collaboration with six leading restaurants to showcase a wide variety of EU agricultural products s for food lovers in Korea.

The ‘Tasty Europe in Seoul’ is the European Union’s first consumer activation in the HoReCa industry in Korea, as part of the ‘Colours by Europe. Tastes of excellence’ campaign. The 14-month campaign was launched on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement in July last year. It aims to increase the awareness of the key merits of EU food and beverage products, highlighting their safety, quality, authenticity, sustainability, to share with Koreans how to best enjoy them, and to encourage consumption. The ‘Tasty Europe in Seoul’ is the European Union’s first consumer activation in the HoReCa industry in Korea, as part of the ‘Colours by Europe. Tastes of excellence’ campaign. The 14-month campaign was launched on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement in July last year. It aims to increase the awareness of the key merits of EU food and beverage products, highlighting their safety, quality, authenticity, sustainability, to share with Koreans how to best enjoy them, and to encourage consumption.

 

[Photo 1] The ‘Tasty Europe in Seoul’ promotion dishes featuring EU food and beverages

The two-week 'Tasty Europe in Seoul’ program will take place from 15th to 28th March, 2022 in collaboration with six leading restaurants at Hannam-dong and Itaewon in Seoul: ‘CLEO’, ‘RUMPUS ROOM’ and ‘PRIVILEGE BAR’ at Mondrian Seoul Itaewon, ‘1842,’ Michelin-recommended restaurant ‘KOMAD,’ and a charcuterie-specialized restaurant ‘The Charcuteria’.

“The EU has an important cultural culinary heritage, like the Republic of Korea, which is reflected by the high number of geographical indications protected in both territories. We will be featuring over 44 GI products during the two-week ‘Tasty Europe in Seoul’ collaboration with the six restaurants. The EU has more than 3,000 GI products ranging from fruits, vegetables, meat products, cheese, wines, and spirits, etc. GI protects the traditional methods of production and guarantees the authenticity, the origin of products and also the climate and geography that contribute to their authentic taste and quality. The GI products cannot be produced anywhere else in the world without losing their specificities. Each GI product has its own story to tell about its tradition, history, and region of production. We are very pleased to collaborate with food and beverage outlets in keeping the good reputation of safe and high-quality EU agricultural food and beverage products, to support the competitiveness of our products, and to promote and inspire food lovers in Korea to continue their palatable and cultural EU food journey,” said H.E. Ms. Maria Castillo-Fernandez, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Korea.

 

[Photo 2] H.E. Ms. Maria Castillo-Fernandez, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Korea

Food lovers in Korea will literally be able to ‘Taste Europe’ in Seoul. The talented chefs from the six participating restaurants will curate lunch and dinner menus with dishes featuring a wide variety of top-quality EU ingredients and EU wines for pairing from over 18 EU countries. The menus will reflect the high-quality, diversity and authenticity of EU agricultural food and beverage products, such as beef and pork, dairy products, vegetables, olive oils, spirit, beer, and wine, including Organic and Geographical Indication (GI) products.

Food lovers in Korea can embark on a gastronomic journey to Europe from day to night with:  

  • Lunch at CLEO featuring Irish Onion Soup, Grilled Salami with Saganaki​ prepared with Feta PDO cheese and Ouzo GI spirit from Greece;

  • Catch up with group of friends at ‘1842’ with Zelňačka, a traditional Czech soup made from fermented cabbage, or a Pečené vepřové Koleno (Czech roast pork knee), paired with world’s first pilsner type lager beer from Czech Republic;

  • Typical EU platters such as Jamón and Melon, Burrata Cheese salad and Pork belly Confit, all paired with wine and spirits from the EU at PRIVILEGE BAR.

Brunch with friends at RUMPUS ROOM to sample over 16 specialty cheeses, which come in different textures and tastes, such as soft, semi-soft, firm, blue-veined. The presented cheeses with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) labels,  owe their quality to the particular geographical environment in

  • which they were produced, as well as the methodology and origin of the milk. For example, Langres PDO which is made exclusively from cow's milk on the Langres plateau and the Bassigny pastures in the Champagne-Ardenne region in France;
  • ‘KOMAD’, a Michelin-recommended restaurant in Seoul in 2021, that will feature a hearty dinner with braised Dutch beef rib with smoked pumpkin purée graced with sweet sour mustard pickle gravy;
  • Indulging evening at The Charcuteria and Privilege Bar with wine and food pairing menus featuring Spanish Jamón Serrano PGI, among other traditional cured hams and specialty cheese platter paired with a selection of sparkling, red, white or a glass of refreshing Grande Cuvée Rose from Bulgaria.

During this promotion period, consumers will also have the chance to win gifts from the European Union. Diners can indeed participate in the on-site survey at the restaurants and be among the first 30 to win EU campaign-branded canvas bags, as well as EU food and beverage products. At the same time, each restaurant will be giving away 10 glasses of EU wines or beers every day over the two-week promotion, via the EU campaign’s Instagram hashtag activity.

Follow us on Instagram and Website to explore the colourful and delicious world of EU agricultural food and beverage products and share our campaign social media account(s) with your family and friends.

Please refer to the APPENDIX:

  1. Details of participating restaurants-bars and proposed menus

  2. “Interview with EU Ambassador to Korea H.E. Ms Maria Castillo-Fernandez” Q&A Document with quotes and insights on European Union Agricultural Food and Beverage Products and Trade in Korea

About “Colours by Europe. Tastes of Excellence.” Campaign

The “Colours by Europe. Tastes of Excellence.” campaign is an EU agricultural food and beverage products promotion campaign, which was officially launched in South Korea on 19th July 2021. The European Union (EU) aims to increase the awareness of the key merits of EU agricultural food and beverage products (safety, quality, authenticity, sustainability), to educate the audiences on how to best enjoy, and to encourage purchase in South Korea. The 14-month campaign is presented with distinctively colourful and appetising food stories and campaign visuals through consumer events, retail promotions, HoReCa promotions, public relations, and social media activations in the South Korean market.

 

About The European Union (EU) and Food System

A single entity, a single set of rules

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 Member States. With an estimated population of about 446 million, the EU is one of the largest trading blocks in the world, including the agri-food sector, which employs over 4 million workers and over 300 000 businesses.

 

The European food system is recognised and trusted because of its harmonised, single set of food laws. The General Food Law Regulation applies to all EU and national measures relating to food and feed, pertaining to the production, processing and distribution of all EU agricultural food and beverage products. The core objectives of this legislation include ensuring food safety, improving food quality, and generating consumer confidence.

EU food law protects as much the consumer, by guaranteeing high-quality and safe agricultural food and beverage products, as the health of the planet. Complementing the EU Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy aims to make food systems fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly. Priorities include a 50% reduction in the use of more hazardous pesticides and increasing the share of agricultural land under organic farming to 25% by 2030.

 

 

APPENDIX A

‘Tasty Europe in Seoul’ participating restaurant menu list

1.      CLEO (Mondrian Hotel Itaewon)

  • Starter: Ricotta salad, goat cheese toast (select 1)

  • Main: Irish style onion soup, grilled salami with halloumi (select 1)

  • Dessert: Homemade Spanish churros

  • EU wine selection

2.      Privilege Bar (Mondrian Hotel Itaewon)

  • Jamón & Melon

  • Burrata cheese salad

  • Iberico pork belly confit with endive & fennel

  • EU wine selection

3.      RUMPUS ROOM (Mondrian Hotel Itaewon)

  • Cheese station (16 types of EU cheese)

  • EU wine selection

4.      KOMAD

  • Starter: Foie gras & chicken liver mousse, port wine jelly, beet & cardamom picelle

  • Main: Brazed Beef Ribs with Smoked Pumpkin Puree and Truffles

  • Dessert: Truffles ice-cream, Jamón crispy, bee pollen

  • Austrian white wine

5.      1842

  • Cuscus salad

  • Zelňačka (a traditional Czech soup made from fermented cabbage)

  • Pečené vepřové Koleno (Czech roast pork knee)

  • pilsner type lager beer

  • Hungarian white wine

6.      The Charcuteria

  • Jamón cream pasta

  • Tasty Europe platter

  • Burrata cheese salad

  • Tasty Europe set (Burrata cheese salad, charcuterie platter, Jamón cream pasta, Lithuanian chocolate, Bulgarian rose wine)

 

 

 

APPENDIX B

“Interview with EU Ambassador to Korea H.E. Ms Maria Castillo-Fernandez” Q&A Document

 

EU Ambassador to Korea H.E. Maria Castillo-Fernandez on:

European Union Agricultural Food and Beverage Products and Trade in Korea

 

  • What is the vision and background of the launch of the first EU agricultural food and beverage products campaign “Colours by Europe. Tastes of Excellence.” in Korea?

    • Led by the European Union, the ‘Colours by Europe. Tastes of Excellence.’ campaign was launched in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement in July last year.

    • It is the first of its kind campaign by the European Union in South Korea to promote agricultural products, including meat, especially beef and pork, Geographical Indication products such as dairy, olive oil, wine and beer, and organic products, including fruits, vegetables, and cereals, produced by the 27 member countries in the EU.

    • The European Union aims to increase the awareness of the key merits of EU food and beverage products, highlighting their safety, quality, authenticity, sustainability, to share with Koreans on how to best enjoy, and to encourage purchase.

    • The 14-month campaign is presented with distinctively colourful and appetizing food stories and campaign visuals through consumer events, retail promotions, HoReCa promotions, public relations, and social media activations in the South Korean market.

 

  • What are your expectations on the performance of EU agricultural food and beverage products in Korea this year and in the next 5 years?

    • The pandemic has affected our life style and people became more conscious on healthy food, healthier way of life. This is in line with the EU’s food production philosophy, and the EU believes it is already contributing with its high-quality products and introduce more varieties to satisfy the Korean consumers. But we also want to go beyond food consumption.

    • The EU has introduced the Farm to Fork Strategy at the heart of the European Green Deal. This aims to make the food systems fair, healthy, and environmentally-friendly. Agriculture and Food industry cannot be resilient to a crisis such as the pandemic if they are not sustainable, not to mention climate change. The EU has its solution, but this solution can work only if consumers and the society shares its value and work together.

    • The EU’s agricultural food and beverages promotion aims at showing that sustainable farming works and people can feel it in their daily life. We believe that in the next 5 years, the notion becomes more familiar to Korean consumers and producers.

  • Can you share with us the concept of the current HoReCa promotion?

    • The ‘Tasty Europe in Seoul’ is our first HoReCa promotion in Korea, as part of the ‘Colours by Europe. Tastes of excellence’ campaign. For this promotion, we are partnering with six leading food and beverage partners in Seoul which will take place in the Itaewon district over a two-week period from 15th to the 28th March.

    • Food lovers in Korea will literally be able to ‘Taste Europe’ in Seoul, as talented and passionate chefs present specially curated dishes, lunch, dinner and wine pairing menus using and featuring a wide variety of top-quality EU ingredients from across the EU region, including beef and pork, Geographical Indication products such as cheese, olive oil, wine and beer, and organic products.

    • Food lovers can follow, share, and engage with us via our social media account for updates on our wine and food promotion, and participate and stand to win complimentary serving of wines from across the EU region during this promotion.

    • The partnering hotel, restaurants, cafes, and bars have been well-known serving high quality food made from top quality ingredients. The partners have been very supportive in using and promoting top quality, authentic, safe and sustainable EU food and beverage products in Korea.

 

  • What is the importance of HoReCa channels and partners in promoting EU agricultural food and beverage products in Korea?

    • The trade and media have been instrumental in promoting the European culinary heritage and culture in Korea. Partners and friends in the HoReCa channel were one of the first to showcase and introduce European cuisines and ingredients in Korea.

    • The handful of European restaurants, cafes and bakeries back then had been instrumental in helping to create interests and awareness in European food among more trade, media, and consumers. And now, you can find restaurants representing almost every part of Europe in Korea, feature European cuisines from North, South, Central, East and West.

    • We have been very fortunate to have HoReCa operators whose preference for high quality standards, will not compromise in using top quality ingredients in preparing their food products. We have seen an increase in the use of EU food and beverage products from across the HoReCa channel and across cuisines, beyond European restaurants, especially in the use of meat, dairy, olive oil, grains and cereals, and wine products.  

    • HoReCa will continue to be one of our key trade partners to collaborate in keeping the good reputation of safe and high-quality EU agricultural food and beverage products. It is a strong channel to support competitiveness of our products, and to promote and inspire food lovers in Korea to continue their palatable and cultural EU food journey.

  

  • What is the winning edge of EU food and beverage products for trade and consumers?

    • European agricultural and food products are well known for their top safety and quality levels. You can buy and enjoy them with a peace of mind because stringent safety production standards and quality controls are guaranteed for the products through the whole production chain, this is from farm to fork and at the same time to ensure environmental, social, and economic sustainability. EU food is a story about quality, safety, authenticity, and sustainability.

    • On the quality and authenticity side: The EU has an important cultural culinary heritage, like the Republic of Korea, which is reflected by the high number of geographical indications protected in both territories. Each GI product has its own story to tell about its tradition, history, and region of production.

    • The EU has more than 3,000 GI products ranging from fruits, vegetables, meat products, cheese, wines, and spirits, etc. Their intimate characteristics make their reputation and are linked to the geographical area they are grown or produced. They cannot be delocalised and produced anywhere else in the world without losing their specificities. They bring important benefits for the producers and offer a guarantee of authenticity and origin to consumers.

    • Already we can find a number of EU GI products in the Korean market thanks to you, importers, and distributers, who were able to select and introduce quality food, and media, who featured its speciality and tradition and uniqueness to the consumers.

    • EU food is also about safety. The EU sanitary and phytosanitary system guarantees one of the highest levels of food safety worldwide. With this event, the EU wishes to highlight that our 27 Member States perform food safety controls throughout the whole agri-food chain, including on farms, borders, transport, food processing plants, wholesalers, supermarkets, retailers, caterers, and restaurants. Controls are risk-based and aim at ensuring that the agri-food chain legislation for the protection of human health, animal health and welfare, and plant health, is correctly applied and enforced. In particular, I would like to stress the fact that EU laws equally apply all over the 27 EU Member States, and the EU offers to trade partners an internal market composed of these 27 Member States without borders and we ensure that Korean consumers enjoy the same level of properly respected standards. We ensure this continues to be the case.

    • EU food is finally about sustainability. On December 2019, the European Commission unveiled the European Green Deal, aiming to make Europe the first carbon-neutral continent. One of the key strategies to implement the Green Deal is the Farm to Fork strategy, which ‘addresses comprehensively the challenges of sustainable food systems.

 

  • With global adoption of modernization and innovations in food production, how does the EU retain (or balance between) its cultural culinary heritage, traditions, authenticity in food production, versus innovations and achieving production volume?

    • We think that traditions and innovations can go together. Innovation can bring changes but at the same time it provides tools for facilitated farming. These days, the farming technology concentrates in developing technologically advanced solutions to help Europe protect and also promote its culinary heritage in various areas. We can see it in our Farm to Fork strategy that these political goals, can be achieved by sustainable food chain, and innovation plays a crucial role in realizing our goal.

    • The EU is also an ageing society and it is important to bring and train young farmers. We should distinguish between tradition, heritage, and tools for sustainable farming.

    • The EU invests in developing European expertise in this field through the EU Research and Innovation programme, and the Commission’s Joint Research Centres.

 

 

  • What are the challenges of producing sustainably produced food? Could you please share with us some insights of the EU Farm to Fork food strategy?

    • The coronavirus crisis has underlined the importance of a robust and resilient food system that functions in all circumstances, and is capable of ensuring access to a sufficient supply of affordable food for citizens. It has also made us acutely aware of the interrelations between our health, ecosystems, supply chains, consumption patterns and planetary boundaries. It is clear that we need to do much more to keep ourselves and the planet healthy. The current pandemic is just one example. The increasing recurrence of droughts, floods, forest fires and new pests are a constant reminder that our food system is under threat and must become more sustainable and resilient.

    • Having this in mind, the EU target is ambitious.

      • a reduction by 50% of the use and risk of chemical pesticides and the use of more hazardous pesticides by 50% by 2030.

      • a reduction of nutrient losses by at least 50% while ensuring that there is no deterioration in soil fertility. This will reduce the use of fertilizers by at least 20% by 2030.

      • a reduction by 50% of the sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and in aquaculture by 2030

      • and reaching 25% of agricultural land under organic farming by 2030

    • People ask about supporting strategies for farmers and aquaculture producers, financial support, food security, food waste management and most of all how will the EU Strategy can promote a global transition to sustainable food systems, etc.

    • The EU has established a number of supporting tools, for each possible challenge. Green Deal strategy aims to reward those farmers, fishers and other operators in the food chain who have already undergone the transition to sustainable practices, enable the transition for the others, and create additional opportunities for their businesses. The EU makes recommendations to the Member States to help them develop plans with adequate funding.

    • Moreover, The EU is committed to lead by example on the transition to sustainable food systems, not only within its borders, but also outside. The European Union incorporates these Farm-to-Fork priorities in the programming guidance for cooperation with third countries in the period 2021-2027. In addition, the EU's bilateral trade agreements also offer a means to foster EU environmental standards in third countries, in addition to food safety standards.

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  • Consumers are paying more and higher attention on health through healthy living, especially through high quality and nutritious food e.g., organic food. Do you think high quality, nutritious food or organic food needs to come at a higher price?

 

    • We should consider the characteristics of organic farming from the production perspective. Input costs are classically lower on organic farms, due to minimal use of fertilizers and pesticides. However, the costs for fuel and lubricants are similar and sometimes higher than conventional farming since there is usually a stronger reliance on mechanical techniques in organic farming. Organic farming is on average also more labour-intensive.

    • However, we believe that this is the right path for a sustainable eco-system and a number of financial, supporting tools are prepared to continue organic farming. Most of all, the EU has negotiated a number of free trade agreements to reduce further customs duties, which will ultimately benefit the consumers.

 

  • What does organic food mean in the EU? How is organic food sustainable?

    • I will need to explain in the context of the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy. The strategy declares that ‘there is an urgent need to reduce dependency on pesticides and antimicrobials, reduce the use of fertilizers, increase organic farming, improve animal welfare and reverse biodiversity loss.’

    • We will have a chance to show you that agriculture is not part of the problem but part of the solution.

    • Organic farming will be subject of special attention during this campaign. The EU has one of the largest agricultural lands for organic farming and targets to increase the size of organic farming land by, at least, 25% of total farmland in 2030. The EU is supportive of organic farming since it promotes agricultural methods that aim to produce food using natural substances and processes.

    • Organic farming tends to have a limited environmental impact as it encourages among others, the responsible use of energy and natural resources, the maintenance of biodiversity, soil fertility, maintenance of water quality, etc.

    • Korea and the EU have signed the organic equivalence arrangement in 2014, which facilitated organic processed food imports into Korea, produced with these organic agricultural products.

    • We shall not forget animal welfare. The European Commission has been promoting animal welfare for over 40 years gradually improving the lives of farm animals.

    • Altogether, the EU ‘farm-to-fork’ strategy sets concrete targets to increase organic farming, improve animal welfare, and reverse biodiversity loss by building food chain that works for consumers, producers, climate, and environment.

 

  • How is the campaign “Colours by Europe. Tastes of Excellence.”doing in Korea? Could you tell us more about the Korean consumers’ reaction towards EU food and beverage product promotions conducted in the previous consumers activations in 2021?

    • Led by the European Union, the ‘Colours by Europe. Tastes of Excellence.’ campaign was launched in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement in July last year.

    • We launched the campaign with a 27-meal kit concept last year, where food lovers were able to engage with us on our Instagram to stand a chance to win two of the 27 meal kits which had generated strong social engagements and enquiries. This helped us to kick start the promotion and to build more interests on culinary heritage and culture from the 27 European Union Member States, and the wide variety of top-quality ingredients from across the EU region.

    • The 14-month campaign has presented with distinctively colourful and appetising food stories and campaign visuals through consumer events, retail promotions, HoReCa promotions, public relations, and social media activations in the South Korean market.

    • We had collaborated with retailers to create two experiential European Christmas Market shopping experiences for consumers to explore and purchase EU food products both in offline and online retail with strong sales and highly positive feedback from our retail partners and shoppers. We will have three more retail activations coming up in the coming months, one of which leading to EU Day in May.  

    • We have collaborated with talented chefs and food stylists to host cooking and food styling classes, which had generated many interests among our audiences. We have received requests from Korean consumers to organise more of such classes last year. Thus, we have planned for another in the coming months, and are looking into organizing more cooking class to share the colours, and excellence of Europe.

 

  • Last year we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement that comes with an impressive growth in bilateral trade. Do you have any further mission or challenge for Korea market in bilateral trade of agricultural products?

    • The EU celebrated its tenth-year anniversary of the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement. It came with an impressive growth in bilateral trade of more than 46% over 10 years, reaching over €110 billion. Among these, exports of EU agricultural products to Korea tripled in ten years by reaching 3 billion euros in 2020. We could observe that wine exports tripled, olive oil exports more than doubled and cheese exports increased over six times since the implementation of the Agreement.

    • However, high quality EU products are sometimes excessively priced, and although we can observe more diverse products, many of the food are still limited in certain categories from certain Member States. We would like to expand the scope of varieties and country of origin with a reasonable price.

    • This is the reason why we prepared this campaign, in order to demonstrate the variety of EU food products and diverse dishes people can explore.

    • In addition to final agricultural products, we hope we can also exchange further on agricultural technology for sustainable growth in our bilateral relationship.

 

  • Could you introduce a Korean dish that can be made with European ingredients or a European dish that can be made with Korean traditional ingredients to our readers?

    • Among imported beef, veal is a unique type of beef coming from the EU. Veal is not a common ingredient in Korea, however it has a different texture than beef, for being much tender.

    • Bulgogi is one of my favorite Korean dishes, which I enjoy preparing myself sometimes, and also, I present to my family and friends back in Europe. In summer, I prefer to have light meals, such as cold salad dishes with bulgogi in Korea. I marinate EU veal with Korean soja sauce, garlic, onions, and green onions with additional seasoning. I grill them lightly and put it on my salad prepared with local lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber. I must say that Korean mini tomatoes are very delicious with a well-balanced sweetness and sourness.

    • Otherwise, being Spanish myself, I like to present the Spanish tortilla and Paella to my guests. Koreans are more used to Latin American tortilla, but Spanish tortillas are very easy to make, simple but also good food to share. I use the newly harvested Korean potatoes, which are very tasty, along with fresh onions and eggs. This is all I need, with good olive oil better to fry.

    • Paella is also one of my favorite menus for my guests. Korea is surrounded with sea, which provides a lot of varieties of fresh and good quality seafood. They add flavor to my dish and guests always love it.

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PR회사 INR  02-310-9680                         정진아 부장 010-5236-9081 / stephanie.choung@inrcomm.com