Between convenience and freshness... What are the criteria for purchasing food?
Jun 19, 2025
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While online consumption of fresh milk is increasing, especially for early morning delivery, imported sterilized milk products that can be stored at room temperature are also being distributed through various platforms. While there are consumers who choose due to price competitiveness and storage convenience, some have raised concerns about the lack of product information and quality.
One consumer checked the day after receiving imported sterilized milk products at an online mall and left a case that the expiration date was less than four months away. In addition, some consumers found that "tastes and scents did not meet expectations" in the latter part.", "The shelf life was shorter than expected.", "It is difficult to check because there is no production date." was also left with an opinion such as.
According to a study conducted by market research firm KMRI on the 「Imported Dairy Distribution Status and Quality Verification」, those who have purchased imported sterilized milk cited the factors of dissatisfaction such as"product damage and damage (29.4%)',"unsatisfactory taste and aroma (24.8%)',"wrapping dissatisfaction (13.1%)', and"mistrust of excessively long shelf life (13.7%)'.
The expiration date itself is that imported sterilized milk is longer than domestic milk. Compared to imported sterilized milk, which has an average shelf life of about one year, domestic sterilized milk is shorter than about 12 weeks. The domestic milk industry explains that "sterile milk can deteriorate in quality after a certain period of time, such as the separation of milk fat, so we are conservatively setting the expiration date for consumer trust.""
The quality comparison experiment also showed differences. Sterile and sterilized milk produced in Korea maintained acidity within the normal range, but hydrolysis acidification was also observed in some imported sterilized milk. Domestic fresh milk is delivered to consumers within an average of two to three days after milking, and is based on a cold chain system in which the entire process of cooling, collecting, sterilization, inspection, packaging, and distribution takes place at low temperatures.
The Milk Self-Support Management Committee (Chairman Lee Seung-ho) said "Domestic milk is distributed in a refrigerated state without external exposure and is systematically maintained, so it is delivered to consumers in an average of two to three days." It is important to check comprehensive information such as production location, distribution environment, and storage conditions as well as the expiration date of product labels, and "Considering these factors together at the time of purchase helps choose fresh foods" he advised.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
