Anuga 2025 in Germany Reaffirmed the Global Competitiveness of K-Food

Sejong, 23 October 2025 — The Republic of Korea (ROK) participated in Anuga 2025 held in Germany from 4 to 8 October as the official partner country. Anuga is the world’s largest food and beverage trade fair with over 100 years of history and held biennially. This year’s event featured more than 8,000 food companies from 110 countries and attracted approximately 140,000 visitors.

At the trade fair, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) presented a wide array of K-Food under the theme of “Flavor Meets Trends.” Exhibited food products ranged from traditional foods, such as kimchi and “jang” (fermented sauces), to trending street foods and innovative future-oriented food products, such as gluten-free and vegan food. This wide range of food exhibition showcased the past, present, and future of K-Food.

At the opening ceremony on 4 October, on behalf of the Republic of Korea as the official partner country of Anuga 2025, H.E. Song Miryung, Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, addressed food industry stakeholders from around the world. Minister Song said: “K-Food, which is rooted in traditional food culture such as making kimchi and fermented sauces, is becoming a part of daily life and dining tables globally, thanks to its synergy with Korean cultural content such as K-pop and animations. The Korean government will provide a full support for the Korean food and beverage industry so that K-Food can play a leading role as a central pillar of the K-Initiative in setting the trend in the global food and beverage market.”

Following the opening ceremony on the same day, Minister Song visited key sections of the exhibition in the morning, such as the Innovation Pavilion and the Startup Pavilion, to see emerging global food trends. In the afternoon, Minister Song visited other Korean pavilions, and then offered encouragement to participating Korean businesses and assessed the local market’s responses.

54 Korean companies, which participated in the pavilion organized by the MAFRA, had 1,126 buyers-exporters meetings worth USD 69 million. The Korean companies also signed eight Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth USD 3 million with local buyers, whose value more than doubled, compared to the value of the MoUs signed in the previous event.  

At a meeting with participating Korean exporters, Minister Song said: “We will take the feedback from Korean exporters into account and make more efforts to ensure that they can face fewer hurdles in expanding their exports based on export market diversification.”

Minister Song also had a lively interaction with local K-Food consumers. The MAFRA hosted a “Chimaek Fest” (a Korean-style event for enjoying Korean fried chicken paired with German beer) at a Korean restaurant in Cologne in Germany, which received an enthusiastic response from local consumers. Minister Song introduced the Korean “chimaek” culture to local consumers and promoted the appeal of K-Food.

One attendee said: “It was exciting to finally try Korean fried chicken I’ve only seen in K-dramas. Pairing with German beer was excellent. And because it’s easy to enjoy at home, I think I’ll be having it more often.”

Minister Song said: “This year’s Anuga fair reaffirmed the global competitiveness of K-Food. We will continue to provide full support for Korean exporters to ensure that K-Food can grow further more extensively in the global market. To this end, we will continue to expand our global marketing efforts linked to the K-Initiative, including K-Culture and tourism.”