[E-Daily Reporter kim mi-kyung ] Longtime rivals in the food industry— CJ CheilJedang Corp(097950)and #Dongwon F&B—are once again locked in a fierce battle ahead of the Chuseok holiday peak season. The two companies, which have been locked in a tight battle across the entire home meal replacement (HMR) sector—including kimchi, dumplings, cup rice, and canned ham—are expanding their battle lines to include canned tuna, frozen chicken, and instant rice, repeatedly alternating between leading the market and playing catch-up. In particular, the intensity of the competition is so high that it has even escalated into legal disputes over product packaging designs.

According to industry sources on the 20th, the hottest battleground this Chuseok holiday is undoubtedly the canned tuna gift set market. CJ CheilJedang Corp., the leader in the food industry, has re-entered the canned tuna market for the first time in 15 years. The company has officially imported “Calvo,” Spain’s top canned seafood brand, and has abruptly included it in its Chuseok gift set lineup. With a premium strategy featuring 100% premium oil and no need to drain the broth, it is challenging the dominance established by “DongwonTuna.” Initial reactions have been enthusiastic, with the first batch sold out in just one hour during a home shopping broadcast.

Dongwon F&B is also targeting the Chuseok peak season. Led by its traditional “Dongwon Tuna,” the company has significantly expanded its inventory of gift sets aimed at the health trend. In particular, it is going all out to attract consumers by introducing the “BTS Jin Super Tuna Gift Set,” featuring BTS member Jin, and the “Line Friends Edition.”

Beyond gift sets, the race between the two companies—one seeking to take the lead and the other to catch up—is fierce in the HMR market as well. CJ CheilJedang Corp. has elevated its premium frozen chicken brand “Sobaba” to a standalone brand and recently launched new fried chicken products, setting a new record for cumulative sales. In response, Dongwon F&F has launched the new brand “Kebasak,” which utilizes a new “air-crisping” process, and has begun targeting the meat protein and global export markets. The battle is also heating up in small niche categories, such as mini instant rice. Whenever one company releases a new product, the other immediately follows suit.

As competition intensifies, legal and administrative disputes over product packaging have been recurring for several years. The two companies, which have previously engaged in repeated legal battles and settlements over the similarity of HMR product packaging—such as cup rice containers, pouch porridge, and soup dishes (yukgaejang)—have now clashed over the design of fish cake packaging.

Currently, the Special Judicial Police of the Korea Intellectual Property Office are conducting a compulsory investigation into whether the packaging of Dongwon F&B’s “Nostalgic Busan Fish Cake Renewal” product is similar to CJ CheilJedang Corp.’s “Samho Busan Fish Cake.” While CJ CheilJedang Corp. has strongly alleged infringement of its design rights, Dongwon F&B counters that “it is a common design widely used in the fish cake industry and an original product—not a copy—that underwent review by a law firm prior to launch.” Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the case could even lead to criminal penalties.

An industry insider noted, “Given the nature of food packaging and the mass-market processed food category, similar colors and layouts are widely used, so the key issue is determining the boundaries of what constitutes an original design.” The insider added, “While the aggressive marketing and competition between these two long-time rivals have the positive effect of broadening consumer choices and improving the overall health of the industry, we must be wary of design disputes or wasteful battles that go too far.”