J Korean Diet Assoc.  2024 Aug;30(3):161-180. 10.14373/JKDA.2024.30.3.161.

Evaluation of the Energy and Nutrient Content of HMR Rice, Noodles, Porridge, Soup, and Stew, and Their Comparison with Restaurant Foods

• Kim YS
• Yun SY
• Kim MH

• KMID: 2558566
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14373/JKDA.2024.30.3.161

Abstract

Social and environmental changes, such as the rise of single-person households and advances in the food industry, have led to the replacement of home-cooked meals with home meal replacements products (HMRs). This study compared the nutrient content of a total of 1,680 HMRs and 158 restaurant foods by collecting data on the nutrient content of comparable food types from the Food composition data for restaurant foods published by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and evaluating the calorie and nutrient content of HMRs based on nutrition labeling through market research from May 2022 to May 2024, focusing on rice, porridge, noodles, soup/stew. The nutritional content and price of the HMRs varied widely, even for similar foods, depending on the detailed food type. Therefore, it is necessary to make an appropriate choice based on nutrition labeling according to the purpose of consumption. The HMRs had a lower calorie and nutrient content due to the smaller serving size when compared with restaurant foods. However, when the same weights were compared, the sugar and sodium content in the rice and soup/stew were higher in the HMRs than in the restaurant foods. In addition, due to the wide variety of HMRs available, many HMRs that can replace restaurant foods are being produced. However, even for the same type of food, the serving sizes of the HMRs and the restaurant foods were widely different, suggesting the need for a study to examine the appropriateness of the serving sizes of HMRs and restaurant foods.

Keyword

home meal replacements; nutrition labeling; rice; porridge; noodles; soup/stew; restaurant food