K-food targets US foodservice, institutional markets with first Korean pavilion at IFDA conference

Korean food products, which have steadily expanded their presence in US supermarkets and retail stores, are now setting their sights on the country's large-scale foodservice and institutional catering markets. The strategy is to move beyond business-to-consumer channels and build business-to-business distribution networks by leading with products — fermented pastes, sauces and frozen mandu — that are easy to incorporate as ingredients in commercial kitchens.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will participate in the 2026 International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) Conference, held Monday and Tuesday in San Antonio, Texas.

The IFDA Conference is a B2B event covering food distribution technology, supply chain management and logistics automation solutions. This year's gathering draws about 1,500 foodservice distribution professionals, including representatives from Sysco, the world's largest food distribution company.

The ministry will operate a Korean pavilion at the event for the first time, together with the Korea Food Distribution Association. While K-food exports have traditionally focused on consumer-facing channels such as local supermarkets and retail outlets, the pavilion is squarely aimed at large-scale buyers — foodservice distributors and restaurant franchise operators.

Six South Korean exporters will take part in the Korean pavilion: Nongshim Taekyung, Dongwon F&B, Samsung Welstory, CJ Freshway, Pulmuone and Hanmi F3. They will showcase fermented pastes, sauces, frozen mandu and other ready-to-use products with strong potential in the North American B2B market.

The pavilion will go beyond simple product displays to show buyers how K-food ingredients can be used in actual cafeteria and restaurant settings. Visitors will be able to taste K-sauces and frozen mandu on site, and the companies will present recipes and supply models showing how the products can be incorporated into local institutional and restaurant menus.

Given the bulk-purchasing nature of B2B markets, the companies will also walk buyers through storage and distribution requirements, giving them the information needed to assess large-scale handling convenience and supply conditions before deciding whether to add the products to their distribution networks.

The ministry is extending its export support beyond the event itself. Ahead of the conference, it analyzed each buyer's areas of interest and demand and arranged one-on-one meetings with South Korean companies. After the event, it plans to facilitate sample shipments and online consultations to help turn initial contacts into actual transactions.

Information gathered at the conference on North American foodservice distribution and supply chain characteristics — as well as buyer data broken down by distribution channel — will feed into future strategies for expanding B2B exports to the United States.

Corporate cafeterias run by South Korean companies already operating in the United States will also be tapped as large-scale outlets for K-food ingredients. The ministry plans to work with those companies to run "K-Food Day" events at their cafeterias to boost consumption of Korean ingredients, as part of a broader effort to cultivate steady demand.

Jung Kyung-seok, the ministry's director general for food industry policy, said breaking into foodservice distribution networks that feed large-scale consumption — through institutional catering and restaurants — is essential if K-food is to move beyond a passing trend and establish itself as a mainstream part of global food culture. "We will spare no policy support — from identifying buyers to online and offline marketing — so that quality Korean food ingredients can successfully take root in the global B2B market and become a new engine driving the expansion of agricultural and food exports," he said.