With the rise in the number of one-person households in the nation, 24-hour vending machines selling meat are going to be in service starting end of June.

Imagine packaged meat popping out of side-street machines. That looks set to be the future of Korean cities, following the passing of a revision to the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday.

The revision was passed by the Ministry of Government Legislation, allowing livestock product sellers to remotely control their products’ temperatures and expiration date by adopting internet of things technology. As of now, packaged meat products, such as the Korean marinated meat galbi, are only available at supermarkets and convenience stores.


 

But with the advent of meat vending machines, the process of buying meat will be just like buying a soft drink in can. The vending machines are expected to be in demand in areas where the number of one-person households are growing.

According to the Ministry of Legislation, meat vending machines are a move to reduce the hurdles for business operators selling livestock products and to meet the demands of the increasing number of one-person households so that the 24-hour vending machines allow them to grab meat late at night without having to go all the way to a supermarket.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)