Some spicy frozen late-night snacks, including chicken feet and seasoned pork intestines, deliver more than a full day's recommended cholesterol intake in a single pack, a government survey found. Because many consumers eat these products regularly as drinking snacks or late-night meals, they should watch for excessive cholesterol and sodium intake.
The Korea Consumer Agency released findings on the 20th from its review of the taste, composition and safety of 11 spicy frozen late-night snacks, including six chicken feet products and five pork intestine products.
When the agency compared the products' capsaicinoid content with that of gochujang, or Korean red pepper paste, 10 of them registered at the first level of gochujang spiciness. Korean Industrial Standards classify gochujang into five spiciness levels based on capsaicinoid content per kilogram. The spiciest product was Nonghyup Mokwoochon's Saengsaeng Pocha Grilled Boneless Chicken Feet, which reached the second level.
Cholesterol content per pack ranged from 38% to 117% of the daily reference value for nutrients, while sodium content ranged from 46% to 84%.
Lotte Shopping's Yorihada Spicy Grilled Pork Intestines had the highest cholesterol content at 117% of the daily reference value, while Dongwon F&B's Simya Sikdang Spicy Grilled Pork Intestines had the highest sodium content at 84%. All products met relevant standards in tests for contamination by microbes and heavy metals.
Prices varied widely. Chicken feet products ranged from 5,380 won to 9,900 won per pack and pork intestine products from 5,500 won to 8,980 won, a gap of as much as 1.6 to 1.8 times within the same category. On a per-100-gram basis, CPLB's Gomgom Grilled Boneless Chicken Feet and Gomgom Spicy Grilled Pork Intestines were the cheapest.
The 11 products surveyed were Gomgom Grilled Boneless Chicken Feet, Saengsaeng Pocha Grilled Boneless Chicken Feet, Anjuya Grilled Boneless Chicken Feet, Ogam Pocha Grilled Chicken Feet, Peacock Spicy Seasoned Boneless Chicken Feet, Harim Grilled Boneless Chicken Feet, Gomgom Spicy Grilled Pork Intestines, Daerimseon 24/7 Spicy Grilled Pork Intestines, Simya Sikdang Spicy Grilled Pork Intestines, Anjuya Grilled Spicy Pork Intestines and Yorihada Spicy Grilled Pork Intestines.
"When buying spicy frozen late-night snacks, consumers should check quality factors such as spiciness and nutrient content, and compare prices carefully before choosing a product," the Korea Consumer Agency said.