S. Korea seeks to boost global competitiveness of local bay salt

SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea aims to improve the competitiveness of
locally produced bay salt so it can make inroads into the global market, the
government said Tuesday.

Local bay or sea salt, produced by the evaporation of seawater mostly from the
western and southern coasts, has potential equal to France's Guerande gray sea
salts, which are favored by chefs and consumers all over the world, the
agriculture ministry said.
South Korean bay salts, produced on vast mud flats, are known for their flavor
and are rich in minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, according to
the ministry. The abundance of minerals gives them an advantage over normal table
salts made from pure sodium chloride or those produced from rock salt minerals.
Korean sea salt also contains 20 percent less sodium chloride than regular salt,
which may help people control high blood pressure and heart disease, the ministry
said.
The ministry said to build up the bay salt business, South Korea must make
headway in infrastructure for production, manufacturing and distribution. In the
past, bay salts were classified as natural minerals and not as food, affecting
overall quality control, it added.
The ministry also called for marketing efforts to generate public awareness and
the establishment of systematic export strategy so the salts can be shipped
abroad. At present most bay salts are consumed locally, with only small
quantities exported to Japan.
Policymakers, meanwhile, said they plan to employ tracking systems to raise the
transparency of how products are sold on the market and will make it mandatory
for manufacturers to print country of origin of seawater-based salts.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)