Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop policy recommendations for creating a healthy food environment around convenience stores which has been recently extending beyond the retail to the food retail and even to the foodservice market in South Korea. Design/methodology/approach This study was based on case studies of evaluating the nutritional quality of lunch box products sold by the Korean big 3 convenience store brands (CU, GS25 and 7-Eleven) as meal replacements. Samples of all lunch box products sold during October 2016 in Asan city, South Korea were collected for nutritional quality evaluation. Findings The amount of food items in the “Meats/Fish/Eggs/Legume” food group was 2.4 times the recommended intake, while that in the “Vegetables” food group was even less than one serving size. The most frequent cooking method both for the animal- and plant-based food groups was stir-frying. The average calories fell short of the reference value for men but exceeded it for women. The percentage energy contribution from fats exceeded the reference range. The average amounts of protein, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium were higher than recommended. Originality/value This study calls attention to the necessity and importance of establishing a healthy food environment around convenience stores, given the ever-growing reliance on these establishments as a go-to spot for a convenient meal. The results may also provide useful insights for developing countries in Asia, which are being spotlighted as the emerging markets for convenience stores.

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Objectives This study aimed to explore cooking practices among Korean young adults in their 20s. Methods  An on-line survey was conducted from February 18th to 25th, 2021 to Korean young adults in their 20s. A survey questionnaire was developed to measure respondents’ cooking practices including self-efficacy (14 items), attitude (10 items), and the ability to control barriers to cooking practices (5 items) by using a 5-point Likert scale. It also assessed respondents’ demographic characteristics, desire to improve cooking skills, and perception of satisfaction with their food-related life. The reliability of multiple-item measurements was verified using Cronbach's alpha. The differences in cooking practices and desire to improve cooking skills across respondents’ demographic characteristics were analyzed by independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Statistics version 25.0 at the significance level of 0.05. Results The average overall score of cooking practices was 9.74 (self-efficacy 3.45, attitude 3.31, ability to control barriers 2.89). The average overall scores of cooking practices were significantly lower in university (college) graduates, employees, and low-income households. When examining each component of cooking practices, self-efficacy and attitude were significantly higher in single-person households. On the other hand, the ability to control barriers to cooking practices was significantly lower in single-person households. Besides, the ability to control barriers to cooking practices tended to be lower among females, university (college) graduates or higher, employees, and those with monthly income of 840 to 2,500 USD. The desire to improve cooking skills was significantly higher among females and single-person households. There appeared to be a positive correlation between cooking practices and satisfaction with food-related life. Conclusions This study suggests that future interventions emphasize more on the ability to control barriers to cooking practices especially among those who are female, employees, with a higher level of education, with monthly income of 840 to 2,500 USD, and living in single-person households. Funding Sources This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT).