• SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA 

Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) shoppers in Guam have new food offerings on store shelves — and they are South Korean-made products. 

 According to a Feb. 19 report in Korea JoongAng Daily — a South Korean-published English-language daily — South Korean food and beverage firm CJ CheilJedang started selling its popular processed Korean food products — including plant-based dumplings and instant rice — in U.S. commissaries in Guam, and plans to expand its presence to other U.S. military bases around the world.  

 CJ started selling 14 products across four categories — tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), cup bap (mixed rice in a cup), vegetarian dumplings and instant rice — at commissaries in Guam on Jan. 23.  

 For this launch, the company chose microwavable products that can be consumed immediately after reheating to sell at the commissaries in consideration of the lack of cooking facilities on military bases.  

COMMISSARY PRESENCE   

CJ started selling its plant-based dumplings within U.S. military bases in South Korea in April 2024. According to the article, products that contain meat can only be sold at U.S. military bases if the protein is grown in the United States.   

The firm also started selling tteokbokki at the South Korea’s Pyeongtaek and Osan AB commissaries starting in August 2024 after the dumplings proved to be popular. Reports are that over 20,000 units of the dumplings and tteokbokki have been sold at military bases.  

The article noted that CJ aims to sell its products at U.S. military bases in Japan, Hawaii and Alaska and expand its portfolio to include frozen rice products including gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) and fried rice as well as South Korean street food like fried seaweed rolls — a side dish commonly served with tteokbokki.  

Source: Korea JoongAng Daily 

Edited by Larry Lapka