21-06-2025
Alarmingly high sodium levels found in naengmyeon meal kits
Naengmyeon, or cold noodles, is one of the most popular dishes in Korea, especially in summer, but a government-affiliated agency warned Thursday that prepackaged naengmyeon products contain sodium levels far exceeding the recommended amount per meal.
Nine out of 10 prepackaged products sold in the domestic market that were examined by the Korea Consumer Agency were found to have sodium levels exceeding half of the World Health Organization's recommended daily intake of less than 2,000 milligrams.
Several of them had close to the 2,000 milligram threshold in a single package, including No Brand's mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in chilled broth) at 1,833 milligrams. One -- mul naengmyeon product from Chil Kab Farm Products -- had 2,969 milligrams.
Pulmuone's bibim naengmyeon (cold noodles with spicy sauce) product was the only one that had less than 50 percent of the daily sodium intake, at 803 milligrams.
On average, the sodium levels of five mul naengmyeon products were higher than those of bibim naengmyeon products, 1,999 to 1,270.
The study found that most of the sodium came from the broth of mul naengmyeon and the spicy sauce in bibim naengmyeon. A total of 1,666 milligrams of sodium was found in the watery broth, challenging the conventional belief that it is the milder option.
Sauce for bibim naengmyeon, which includes red pepper paste, sugar, vinegar and other ingredients, had 837 milligrams of sodium on average.
But the noodles themselves, in both types of dishes, had fairly-low levels of sodium at 333 milligrams for mul naengmyeon and 433 milligrams for bibim naengmyeon.
Although an average serving of naengmyeon provides 23-29 percent of the recommended daily calorie intake, a KCA survey of 1,000 people showed that many Koreans eat more than one serving per meal.
In the survey, 50 percent said they eat a single serving per meal while 47 percent said they eat two, and 3 percent said they eat three or more. This would lead to excessive intake of calories and sodium in a single meal, and unbalanced nutrition since naengmyeon dishes consist mostly of carbohydrates.
Researchers recommended that instead of filling up on an excessive amount of noodles, consumers should try to balance their meals by adding eggs, meat or cucumber slices, which are common toppings for naengmyeon.
