'It's a Misunderstanding' — Samyang Reintroduces Beef Tallow Ramen After 36 Years
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
Samyang Foods unveiled a new product, 'Samyang Ramen 1963', made with beef tallow (uji, 소기름), marking the first time since the 1989 'uji scandal' that the company has used animal fat in its noodles. At a Seoul press event, Vice Chairman Kim Jeong-su tearfully said the return of uji restores a longtime wish of the company’s late founder, Jeon Jung-yun. The 1989 controversy began when several food companies were accused of using industrial-grade beef tallow; public fear and regulatory scrutiny then slashed Samyang’s market share and staff. The article traces the roots of anti-animal-fat sentiment to Ancel Keys’ mid-20th-century lipid hypothesis and notes later research challenging links between saturated fat and heart disease, as well as concerns about certain vegetable oils. It also highlights other food fads damaged by public misunderstanding—Taiwanese castella cake makers lost business after claims about cooking oil use—and reviews the history of saccharin (an artificial sweetener) once labeled carcinogenic but later cleared and even studied for potential anticancer and antibiotic-supporting roles.
