Bottled Water, Instant Noodle Exports to Japan Surge

Japan has massively increased imports of Korean food products in March due to fears among Japanese consumers about the safety of their own food after radiation was detected in tap water in Tokyo due to the Fukushima nuclear accident. Imports of Korean instant noodles, instant soup, mineral water and other packaged food products are surging.

Instant noodle manufacturers here are operating at full capacity. Nongshim said Thursday its instant noodle exports to Japan totaled 13 million units in March, a 2.5-fold increase compared to 5.2 million a year ago. Korea Yakult also saw instant noodle exports to Japan rise to 470,000 units in March, a two-fold rise from a year ago.

Japanese buyers are also snapping up Korean mineral water. Seoksu & Puriss expects to export 2,435 tons of the product to Japan in March, triple the amount it shipped to the island nation in March last year. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation, which produces the mineral water Samdasoo, has signed a contract to export 150 tons to Japan.

For instant food, CJ Cheiljedang has received inquiries from Japanese distributors about instant soup. And the Tokyo branch of the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation has seen a surge in inquiries from Japanese distributors about possible sales of Korean tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables.