Seafood and shellfish allergy in Korea: what the labels show
K-Food Label · Updated Oct 31, 2026
Seafood is a basic flavour in Korean cooking, and it shows in packaged food. In the official label data, 843 of 2,006 products (42%) list shrimp, crab, squid or shellfish.
Ready-to-eat meals and soups
464 of 710 ready-to-eat products (65%) list a seafood allergen. Shellfish is the most common seafood allergen overall, often from oyster or mussel extract in sauces and soup bases, followed by shrimp.
Shared facilities are the norm
1,288 products (64%) carry a sentence saying they are made in a facility that also handles other allergens. For a severe allergy, that line matters as much as the ingredient list. Our product pages show it separately in amber.
Ramen without seafood allergens
Some popular cup ramen list no shrimp, crab, squid or shellfish, such as Shin Ramyun Cup and Sari Gomtang. But almost all are made in facilities that also handle seafood, and some contain fish cake made from fish.
Korean words to know
새우 shrimp, 게 crab, 오징어 squid, 조개류 shellfish (굴 oyster, 홍합 mussel, 전복 abalone, 바지락 clam), 고등어 mackerel, 멸치 anchovy, 액젓 fish sauce, 어묵 fish cake.
Numbers are computed from the Food QR label data published by Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and update every week. Products without allergen data (460) are excluded.