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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] SEOUL, South Korea — November 3, 2025 — The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) has called on restaurant and foodservice companies to refrain from “shrinkflation” — the practice of reducing portion sizes while maintaining prices — warning that such actions erode public trust and hurt efforts to stabilize food prices.
At an inter-agency meeting held on Monday, Kim Jung-wook, Director General of Agricultural Innovation Policy at MAFRA, discussed measures to curb shrinkflation and stabilize dining-out prices with representatives from major restaurant chains and government bodies including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).
The government agencies said they plan to unveil specific countermeasures against shrinkflation later this month.
The issue gained prominence after Kyochon F&B, operator of the fried chicken chain Kyochon Chicken, was accused of reducing the weight of its boneless chicken menu by about 30% while mixing in cheaper chicken breast instead of solely thigh meat — effectively raising the price per gram. Following public criticism and a parliamentary hearing, the company announced last month that it would restore the menu to its original recipe and size.
Representatives from leading restaurant chains including BBQ, bhc, Kyochon Chicken, Starbucks, Twosome Place, Mom’s Touch, No Brand Burger, Yamsem Gimbap, Cheongnyeon Dabang, Dongdaemun Yeopgi Tteokbokki, and Sinjeon Tteokbokki attended the meeting, along with industry associations such as the Korea Foodservice Industry Association, the Korea Restaurant Association, and the Korea Franchise Association.
During the session, industry participants proposed additional support measures, such as applying reduced import tariffs on key ingredients and expanding support for public delivery apps, to help stabilize restaurant prices.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
