Kwon O-yub, third from right, executive vice president of the Trade & Food Industry Division of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT), poses with officials from Ourhome and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs at Ourhome's research and development center in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of aT

Korean-style canteen meals will soon become readily available worldwide as the country's leading private and state-run food companies have signed a new deal to boost global supply.

Major private food service provider Ourhome and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT), which carries out the government's food export policies, agreed on Tuesday to develop new meal products and export them across the globe. Their latest deal also includes sourcing ingredients through local farms and companies in Korea to boost their sales.

The deal focused on three goals: to bolster exports of canteen meal products featuring Korean food, boost consumption of agricultural and fishery produce from the country's regional farms and spur consumption of natural produce grown in environmentally sustainable ways.

Ourhome, established in 2000, has grown as a major company providing canteen meals and other food services to local companies and schools. Currently, the company exports to about 100 cafeterias across five countries, making meals for about 180,000 people overall each day. It is now trying to further expand its distribution channels domestically and overseas as Korean food is gaining popularity across the world.

The food company aT stated that it recognized the potential of K-food canteen meals and noted Ourhome's efforts in developing menus for foreign customers and expanding distribution networks in preparation for expected trade.

The two companies have already confirmed the popularity of K-food canteen meals outside Korea. On Dec. 3, they served 2,500 employees at LG Electronics' Mexican office in Monterrey. The menu included six items such as "tteokbokki," or simmered rice cake, taco stuffed with fried kimchi, dumplings and udon noodles. The K-Food Day received positive feedback, according to aT.

"This deal will not only further promote Korean food to the world's canteen markets but also boost revenues for our local farming households by distributing their products overseas," Kwon O-yub, executive vice president of aT's Trade & Food Industry Division, said.

"We are seeing secondary export countries like Mexico, in addition to our key overseas markets like the United States, China and European countries, to further expand K-food's global markets."