Household Ingredients Compared › Kimchi (Singapore)
The short answer: napa cabbage, radish, red pepper powder, garlic, ginger, spring onion and salt — plus, in almost every traditional kimchi, fermented anchovy sauce and fermented shrimp sauce. Those two seafood sauces are the difference between traditional kimchi and vegan kimchi, and the main allergen to check. Beyond that base, brands differ in sweeteners (sugar, sorbitol, tapioca/rice syrup, fructose), thickeners (xanthan gum, calcium lactate), flavour enhancers (MSG) and starter cultures.
This page does not give a health score, a ranking, or a "best" pick, and it makes no probiotic or gut-health claims beyond what a brand prints, quoted as the brand's claim. It shows the ingredient list as printed, flags sugar, fish/shrimp and other allergens, and explains the jargon in plain English.
| Product | Type | Fish / shrimp? | Added sugar / sweetener? | Pack size (as printed) | Country of manufacture (as printed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Chef Sliced Kimchi (FairPrice SG) | Napa cabbage, sliced | Yes — anchovy + shrimp | Yes — sugar | not stated | South Korea |
| JIN Original Kimchi (Singapore-made) | Napa cabbage | Yes — anchovy + baby shrimp | Yes — sugar | not stated | Singapore |
| JIN Spicy Kimchi (Singapore-made) | Napa cabbage, hotter | Yes — anchovy + baby shrimp | Yes — sugar | not stated | Singapore |
| JIN Geongang Kimchi (FairPrice SG) | Napa cabbage, vegan-style | No fish/shrimp in list — soy sauce instead | Yes — sugar (twice, incl. in plum sauce) | not stated | not stated |
| JIN White Kimchi (Singapore-made) | White (baek) kimchi, no chilli | Not stated in component list — verify pack | Not stated — verify pack | not stated | Singapore |
| CJ Bibigo Sliced Kimchi / Mat Kimchi (SG-sold, overseas listing) | Napa cabbage, sliced | Yes — anchovy (+ shrimp in fish sauce) | Sorbitol + fructose (sweeteners, not "sugar") | 500g / 150g | not stated |
| CJ Bibigo Vegan / PlantTable Sliced Kimchi (SG-sold) | Napa cabbage, vegan | No fish sauce — soy peptone starter; traces warning | No sugar word; sorbitol in US vegan list | 500g | not stated |
| Jongga Napa Cabbage Kimchi (Korean import) | Napa cabbage | Yes — anchovy + shrimp | Sorbitol (in kelp base sauce) | not stated | Korea |
| CJ Bibigo Whole Cabbage Kimchi / Poggi (SG-sold, overseas listing) | Napa cabbage, whole | Yes — anchovy + shrimp | Sorbitol (sweetener) | 500g / 1kg | not stated |
| Jongga Mat Kimchi — Cut Cabbage 400g (Korean import) | Napa cabbage, sliced | Yes — anchovy + shrimp | High-fructose corn syrup | 400g | not stated |
| Jongga Baek Kimchi — White Kimchi 500g (Korean import) | White (baek), no chilli | No fish/shrimp in list checked | Not stated — verify pack | 500g | not stated |
| Jongga Kkakdugi — Cubed Radish Kimchi | Radish, cubed | Yes — anchovy + shrimp | No sugar word in list checked | not stated | not stated |
| Jongga Chonggak — Ponytail Radish Kimchi | Radish, whole young radish | Yes — anchovy + shrimp | Sorbitol (in kelp base sauce) | not stated | not stated |
Prices are deliberately not shown here: they change weekly and would go stale. This site compares ingredients only.
Pack size: not stated · Made in: South Korea (as printed)
Ingredients: Cabbage, Seasoned Sauce (Dried Kelp, Water, Dried Anchovy), Radish, Red Pepper Powder (Dried Red Pepper), Fermented Anchovy Sauce (Anchovy, Salt), Rice Paste (Rice Powder, Water), Salted Shrimp (Shrimp, Salt), Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Ginger, Leek, Flavour Enhancer (Monosodium L-Glutamate) and Salt
Allergen advice on the listing: Contains Shrimp and Fish. Processed in a facility that also processes cereals containing gluten, crustacean, tree nuts and nut products. FairPrice copy adds: "No Artificial Preservatives, Flavourings, Colourings, Sweetener and Thickener" (the brand's claim — note it still lists flavour enhancer MSG and sugar), keep refrigerated at 4°C and below, best within 3 days of opening, and a warning that packaging may swell from fermentation gas. Added sugar: sugar Allergen: fish, shrimp (crustacean) Chilled — live fermentation signalled
Pack size: 500g / 150g · Made in: not stated (as printed)
Ingredients: Salted Napa Cabbage 69% (Napa Cabbage, Salt), Radish, Red Pepper Seasoned Paste 10% (Garlic, Sweetener (Sorbitol), Water, Red Pepper Powder, Radish, Onion, Flavour Enhancer (Monosodium Glutamate), Salt, Ginger, Thickener (Xanthan Gum)), Spring Onion, Thickening Agent (Water, Acidity Regulator (Calcium Lactate), Thickener (Xanthan Gum), Salt), Fish Sauce (Anchovy (Fish) Sauce [Anchovy (Fish), Salt], Water, Anchovy (Fish), Flavoured Salt [Salt, Sugar, Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5'-Ribonucleotides), Maltodextrin, Yeast Extract, Fructose], Salt), Seasoning Powder (Salt, Acidity Regulators (Calcium Lactate, Glucono-Delta-Lactone, Citric Acid), Lactobacillus Fermented Powder, Artificial Flavouring), Starter Culture, Thickener (Xanthan Gum)
Allergen advice: Contains fish (anchovy); may contain traces of crustacean. A second listing for the 300g jar gives salted napa cabbage 63.7% and a slightly different fish-sauce breakdown — percentages and sub-ingredients vary by pack size/market, so verify the SG 500g pack. Sweeteners: sorbitol, fructose, sugar (in flavoured salt) Allergen: fish; may contain crustacean traces
What to notice: this is the most formulated list on the page — seasoned paste, thickening agent, seasoning powder and starter culture are all separate items. Compare Golden Chef, which lists its paste as rice paste + kelp sauce without xanthan gum or calcium lactate.
Pack size: 500g / 1kg · Made in: not stated (as printed)
Ingredients: Salted napa cabbage 69%, radish, red pepper seasoned paste (garlic, sweetener: E420, water, red pepper powder, radish, onion, flavour enhancer: E621, salt, ginger, thickener: E415), green onion, thickener: E415, FISH sauce (ANCHOVY, flavour enhancer: E621; E635), seasoning powder (acidity regulator: E327; E575; E330), starter culture, acidity regulator: E327, salt
Brand-official UK listing (bibigo.co.uk) for Whole Napa Cabbage, available in 500g, 1kg and 2kg. Conflict: a German retailer listing for the 1kg jar gives salted napa cabbage 75%, radish 12%, paprika powder 2.7%, garlic 2.7%, with anchovy sauce, shrimp sauce, MSG and sorbitol — different percentages and a different fish-sauce breakdown from the UK list above. The two cannot both describe the same Singapore jar, so the SG 500g pack must decide; the UK list is used here because it is brand-official, not because it is settled. This is the whole-cabbage (poggi) form: same seasoning family as the sliced Bibigo panel above, different cut — separate row, not merged. Sweetener: sorbitol (E420) Allergen: fish (anchovy); may contain traces of fish, crustaceans
Pack size: not stated · Made in: Korea (as printed)
Ingredients: Napa cabbage, Radish, Rice paste (water, rice powder), Kelp base sauce (kelp extract, sorbitol), Red pepper powder, Garlic, Fermented anchovy sauce (anchovy, salt), Salt, Korean leek, Onion, Chives, Fermented shrimp sauce (shrimp, salt), Lactic acid bacteria, Ginger. Contains: Anchovy, Shrimp
Open Food Facts listing for Jongga kimchi (Korea manufacture). A Singapore Shopee listing for Jongga Whole Cabbage Kimchi 1kg gives a fuller breakdown (salted napa cabbage 69.6%, radish, Jongga rice porridge, onion, red pepper powder, garlic, anchovy fish sauce, kelp base, chives/green onion, shrimp fish sauce) consistent with this list. A US Jongga variant lists sorbitol, tapioca syrup and vinegar instead of the kelp/rice-paste structure — do not merge the US list into this one. Sweetener: sorbitol (in kelp sauce) Allergen: fish (anchovy), shrimp
Pack size: 400g · Made in: not stated (as printed)
Ingredients: Cabbage, Radish, Paprika powder, Rice starch (rice powder, water), high-fructose corn syrup, Salt, Garlic, Chives, Onions, Spring onions, Fermented anchovy sauce (anchovy, salt), MSG (E621), Fermented shrimp sauce (shrimp, salt), Lactic acid bacteria, Ginger. Allergens: fish, crustacean.
Open Food Facts German listing for Jongga Mat Kimchi 400g. Mat = pre-sliced/cut kimchi — the same Jongga napa seasoning family as the panel above, in cut form rather than whole-cabbage form. Note the differences from the napa panel: high-fructose corn syrup as the sweetener (instead of sorbitol in a kelp sauce) and MSG listed openly. A nutrition row for this product is already in the nutrition section below (NZ retailer listing). The Singapore pack should still be checked — Jongga Mat is sold in Singapore via Koryo Mart / Shopee listings in 75g/200g/500g/1kg sizes as well as this 400g size, and those sizes need their own lists. Sweetener: high-fructose corn syrup Allergen: fish (anchovy), shrimp Type: sliced napa (mat)
Pack size: 500g · Made in: not stated (as printed)
Ingredients: Cabbage, Radish, Pear, Chives, Garlic, Salt, Leek, Kelp Base Sauce (Sorbitol, Kelp Extract, Fructose), Pine Nut, Sliced Red Pepper, Lacto Bacillus, Ginger
UK retailer listing (Regency) for Jongga Baek Kimchi 500g. White kimchi (baek kimchi): no red pepper powder, brined with pear instead — a different food from the red Jongga panels, not a mild version of them. Note what is absent: no fermented anchovy sauce and no fermented shrimp sauce in this list, unlike every red Jongga panel on this page. Flag: Singapore availability of the Baek 500g was not confirmed from a Singapore listing in this pass, and the SG pack must be checked — in particular whether the Singapore import matches this no-seafood list. Sweetener: sorbitol, fructose (in kelp sauce) Type: white kimchi (baek)
Pack size: not stated · Made in: Singapore (as printed)
Ingredients: Napa Cabbage, Korean Red Pepper Powder, Apple, Ginger, Green Onion, Garlic, Onion, Sugar, Fish Sauce (Salted Anchovies, Salted Baby Shrimp, Sea Salt), Salt, Monosodium Glutamate
JIN states all ingredients are sourced directly from Korea, that it is made in Singapore, and that it is not Halal certified. Short list, no thickeners, no starter culture named — the simplest traditional list among the napa panels. Added sugar: sugar Allergen: fish, shrimp
Pack size: not stated · Made in: Singapore (as printed)
Ingredients: Napa Cabbage, Korean Red Pepper Powder, Sugar, Fish Sauce (Salted Anchovies, Salted Baby Shrimp, Sea Salt), Spring Onion, Garlic, Apple, Onion, Fresh Chilli, Dried Chilli, Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Ginger
Same base as Original, plus fresh and dried chilli for extra heat. JIN also sells a Mala variant (same base plus anise, nutmeg, clove, Szechuan pepper) — listed in seen-not-verified because it is a flavoured variant, not a plain napa kimchi. Added sugar: sugar Allergen: fish, shrimp
Pack size: not stated · Made in: not stated (as printed)
Ingredients: Napa Cabbage, Korean Red Pepper Powder, Apple, Carrot, Radish, Sugar, Plum Sauce (Fructose Extract, Purified Water, White Sugar, Apple Concentrate [Apple], Plum Concentrate [Plum, Plum Juice], Plum Flavour Extract, Caramel Extract, Trisodium Citrate, Enzyme-Treated Stevia), Soy Sauce (Water, Defatted Soybean, Salt, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Wheat, Sodium Benzoate, Yeast Extract), Korean Refined Sea Salt, Vegan Stock (Mixed Mushroom [Shiitake Mushroom, King Oyster, Matsutake Mushroom] Powder), Sugar, Glutinous Rice Flour [Glutinous Rice, Corn Extract (Corn), Flour]
No fish sauce, no shrimp sauce, no MSG in this list — umami comes from soy sauce and mushroom stock instead. But note the sweeteners stack up: sugar twice, plus fructose extract, white sugar in the plum sauce, high-fructose corn syrup in the soy sauce, and stevia. Also note soy sauce brings wheat and soy allergens that fish-sauce kimchis do not have. Added sugar: sugar, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, stevia Allergen: soy, wheat (via soy sauce)
Pack size: not stated · Made in: Singapore (as printed)
JIN's product page lists components, not a verbatim pack ingredient list: Cabbage, Carrots, Cucumber, Spring Onion, Pear — with the brand statements "No MSG", "less salt" than regular kimchi, and no gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), so it is not spicy and sits in a fruity, salty brine. Because no full list (salt, brine, any fish sauce or vegan stock) was published on the page found, this panel is flagged as partial: do not treat the component list as a complete ingredient list, and verify the pack before publishing — in particular whether white kimchi contains fish sauce, which many traditional baek kimchis do.
Pack size: not stated · Made in: not stated (as printed)
Ingredients: Pickled radish 85.9% (radish 98%, salt 2%), Jongga House kimchi paste I (rice mixture powder), red pepper powder, young radish, garlic, green onion, Jongga house seaweed base, ANCHOVY FISH sauce, SHRIMP FISH sauce, ginger, Kimchi LACTObacillus fermented liquid I (Leuconostoc stock)
Radish is the main vegetable here, not cabbage — kkakdugi is cubed daikon radish kimchi. No sugar word in this list. Allergen: fish (anchovy), shrimp Type: cubed radish (kkakdugi)
Pack size: not stated · Made in: not stated (as printed)
Ingredients: Radish, Rice Paste (Water, Rice Powder), Garlic, Korean Leek, Red Pepper Powder, Kelp Base Sauce (Kelp Extract, Sorbitol), Salt, Fermented Anchovy Sauce (Anchovy, Salt), Fermented Shrimp Sauce (Shrimp, Salt), Lactic Acid Bacteria, Ginger. Contains Fish (Anchovy), Crustacean (Shrimp)
Chonggak uses whole young ponytail radishes with their leafy tops, versus kkakdugi's cubes — same seafood sauces, different radish cut and a sorbitol-containing kelp sauce. Sweetener: sorbitol Allergen: fish, shrimp Type: ponytail radish (chonggak)
Pack size: 500g · Made in: not stated (as printed)
Ingredients: Salted napa cabbage 71.2% (napa cabbage, salt), red pepper spice paste 14.5% (water, radish, red paprika powder, garlic, onion, ginger, flavor enhancer (monosodium glutamate), salt, thickener (xanthan gum)), radish, thickener (water, thickener (xanthan gum), salt), spring onions, starter culture (soy peptone), acidity regulator (calcium lactate)
The brand states this vegan kimchi does not use jeotgal, fermented fish sauce or salted seafood. Allergy advice on the listing: for allergens including soy, see bold; may be present in traces of shrimp, anchovy — i.e. "vegan" here means no seafood ingredients, not a seafood-free factory. The US vegan jar list differs (napa cabbage, radish, water, red pepper powder, sorbitol, salt, garlic, green onion, onion, seasoning [seaweed extract, maltose syrup, salt, sugar, yeast extract], ginger, onion powder, calcium lactate, xanthan gum, kimchi cultures) — verify which formulation the SG 500g pack carries. Allergen: soy (starter); may contain traces of shrimp/anchovy Vegan (no seafood ingredients)
Seen but not verified — do not panel until checked:
Nutrition figures below are a second layer on top of the ingredient panels, checked 5–6 November 2026. Where a pack or retailer gives per-100g figures they are quoted per 100g; where only a per-serving figure was found it is quoted exactly as per serving and flagged as such — per-serving figures are not converted to per-100g. Salt = sodium × 2.5. Sodium is shown as printed, with the salt equivalent in brackets; where a source printed salt only, the sodium figure is salt ÷ 2.5 and is flagged as computed. Sugars figures are total sugars as printed on Singapore-style panels, not added sugars — the ingredient list remains the evidence for added sugar versus natural sugars. No Nutri-Grade is assigned here and no health verdict is given.
| Product | Basis | Energy | Protein | Total fat | Saturated fat | Carbohydrate | Sugars | Sodium (salt equiv.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jongga Napa Cabbage Kimchi (Open Food Facts listing, same ingredient list as panel) | Per 100g, as sold | 140 kJ (33 kcal) | 3.3 g | 0 g | 0 g | 6.7 g | 3.3 g | 633 mg (salt 1.58 g) |
| CJ Bibigo Sliced Kimchi 500g (Open Food Facts) | Per 100g, as sold | 125 kJ (30 kcal) | 1.7 g | 0.5 g | 0.5 g | 5.0 g | 0.6 g | 360 mg (salt 0.9 g) |
| CJ Bibigo Whole Cabbage Kimchi / Poggi (UK brand listing, same list as panel) | Per 100g, as sold | 126 kJ (30 kcal) | 1.7 g | <0.5 g | <0.5 g | 5.0 g | 0.6 g | ≈720 mg (salt 1.8 g as printed) |
| CJ Bibigo Vegan / PlantTable Sliced Kimchi 500g (Open Food Facts, Germany listing) | Per 100g, as sold | 154 kJ (37 kcal) | 2.1 g | 0.8 g | 0.1 g | 4.4 g | 2.2 g | 708 mg (salt 1.77 g) |
| Jongga Fermented Napa Cabbage Kimchi, Vegan 300g (UK retailer listing) | Per 100g, as sold — protein, fat, saturated fat not stated in source | 164 kJ (39 kcal) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | 7.9 g | 3.9 g | 1,300 mg (salt equiv. 3.25 g) |
| Jongga Mat Kimchi 400g (NZ retailer listing) | Per 100g, as sold — energy as printed; protein, fat, saturated fat not stated in source | 75 kJ (as printed; serving-energy figure on same listing is inconsistent — see research notes) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | 2.3 g | 2.3 g | 417 mg (salt equiv. 1.04 g) |
Observed numbers, no verdict: across the six rows above, total sugars run from 0.6 g per 100g (Bibigo Sliced and Bibigo Whole Cabbage) to 3.9 g per 100g (Jongga Vegan, UK retailer listing), and sodium from 360 mg per 100g (Bibigo Sliced) to 1,300 mg per 100g (Jongga Vegan, UK retailer listing). Conflict flagged: other Jongga listings give different per-100g figures for what appears to be the same product family — one UK Open Food Facts Jongga entry gives 39 kcal, 1.5 g sugars and salt 1.8 g, and a sliced Jongga entry gives 50 kcal, 6 g sugars and salt 3.2 g — so the Jongga napa row above is one listing's figures, not a settled value. Bibigo listings likewise vary (sugars 0.5–4.5 g, salt 0.55–1.9 g across 150g/500g entries). The Bibigo Whole Cabbage row above is the UK brand listing (salt 1.8 g); the German 1kg listing for the same product family gives different percentages (75% cabbage) and its own nutrition panel — the SG pack must decide. The Singapore packs for all of these need a photograph before any publish step, and the figures above must not be presented as Singapore-pack transcriptions.
Seen but not verified (nutrition) — do not fill from another product: Golden Chef Sliced Kimchi (FairPrice page retrieved gives ingredients but no nutrition section); JIN Original, JIN Spicy, JIN Geongang, JIN White (no nutrition panels found); Jongga Kkakdugi (cubed radish) and Jongga Chonggak (ponytail radish) (no nutrition panels found for those radish types — the napa figures above do not carry over), and Jongga Baek Kimchi (white kimchi — no nutrition panel found). JIN Geongang's sweetener stack (sugar twice, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, stevia) is an ingredient observation, not a nutrition figure, and no sugars total is quoted for it here.
Checked 5–6 November 2026 from: NTUC FairPrice product pages (ingredient sections for Golden Chef Sliced Kimchi and JIN Geongang; kimchi category/best-seller pages for C+, Bibigo, I am Kimchi, G, Sharelife, Zheng An, Vegeponics); JIN brand ingredient pages (Original, Spicy, Mala, White); CJ Bibigo UK/NZ/US listings for sliced and vegan kimchi; Open Food Facts and retailer listings for Jongga napa, kkakdugi and chonggak. Full per-fact source list is in the accompanying research notes. Where a full Singapore pack list could not be verified, the page says so instead of filling the gap. Re-audit 5 November 2026: added Bibigo Whole Cabbage / Poggi, Jongga Mat Kimchi 400g and Jongga Baek Kimchi panels (all flagged overseas lists, SG packs to verify) and a Bibigo Whole Cabbage nutrition row; added Singapore local makers Wanting Kimchi, Chae's Homemade Kimchi and Worth Your Salt to seen-but-not-verified; 13 products panelled, up from 10.
Nutrition addition, 5–6 November 2026: a “Nutrition — what the numbers say” section has been added above, standardised to per 100g/100ml wherever the source gives per-100 figures, with per-serving figures quoted exactly as per serving and flagged, never converted. Sugars are total sugars as printed, not added sugars; sodium is shown as printed with the salt equivalent (salt = sodium × 2.5) in brackets; no Nutri-Grade or health score is assigned. Products whose nutrition could not be verified are listed in the nutrition section's seen-but-not-verified list, not filled from another product.