“Got Bread for Finishing the Marathon, but Its Use-By Date Was That Same Day?” Sponsor Reveals the Truth Amid Stock-Clearance Controversy

[Financial News] It emerged that bread given to participants in a marathon held in Seoul to mark their completion was labeled with a use-by date that fell on the day of the event. As a controversy over inventory clearance erupted, the company that made the bread and sponsored the event came forward to explain that the labeling was a precautionary measure for food safety.

A controversy erupted on social media and other platforms over the use-by date on cream buns given to participants who finished the JTBC Seoul Marathon, held in Seoul on the 1st. After it became known that the buns were labeled with a use-by date of November 1, the day of the event, suspicions arose that they had been handed out to get rid of leftover stock.
Some people who took part in the marathon posted photos of the bread packaging on social media and questioned the use-by date. Since the bread they received as a completion gift at the event held on the 1st had a use-by date of that same day, posts asking whether the company was trying to clear out bread nearing its use-by date spread rapidly.

As the controversy grew, the company that sponsored the bread posted its own explanation on social media, explaining why the use-by date was listed as the day of the event. The company said, “We put November 1, 2026—the day of the event—as the use-by date because we thought that would be safer than leaving thawed bread at room temperature and eating it after 24 hours.”
The company said the measure came after it considered how participants could eat the bread on the day of the event for food safety, since the bread had been stored frozen and was thawed before distribution. It also mentioned its experience sponsoring bread for last year’s marathon and said it had developed a separate product for this event.
The company said, “It was upsetting to see the bread we sponsored in 2025 get thrown in the trash after just one bite, and we learned a lot from that.” It said it had developed and sponsored bread specifically for the marathon after resolving to offer a product that participants would be happy with this year.
The company added, “Since we can’t make 35,000 loaves in a day, we made bread every day starting several days before the event, flash-froze it at -45°C or colder, and stored it frozen.” It said the product’s use-by date was October 2027. The date was marked as the day of the event so that participants who had not received proper instructions on consumption would not rely only on the use-by date and end up storing the thawed bread for an extended period.

The company said, “We worried the brand or company might get slammed with questions like, ‘Why are you giving out products so close to their use-by date?’” It added, “Still, we thought this would be safer than leaving it at room temperature and eating it that way.” After the company’s explanation became public, reactions among social media users were mixed, despite a generally understanding response.
Some social media users accepted the company’s explanation, saying, “In that case, instead of putting a date on it, writing ‘Please eat on the day’ or ‘Recommended for consumption on the day’ would probably cause less confusion,” and, “It’s a shame that all the thought and effort is being overlooked.” Others responded, “I have a bias against marathon events, so even after hearing the explanation, I still don’t view it favorably,” and, “Without a clear explanation, anyone could misunderstand, yet the people who raised questions are the only ones being made out to be bad people.”
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