Is Cosmos Kimchi Good? Full Review of Our #2 Overall Pick

No. Cosmos Kimchi is made in the USA by Cosmos Food Co., Inc., a Korean-American company founded in 1971 and based in City of Industry, California — not imported from Korea. It follows a traditional Korean recipe and technique, and the company has a notable history: it supplied kimchi to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Village, the first time kimchi was served at the Olympics.

Cosmos Food Co. was founded in 1971 by a group of women serving Los Angeles’s Korean community, and passed through several owners before businessman David Kim acquired it in 2002 and took it mainstream. In April 2024, Cosmos was acquired again — this time by Schwan’s Company, which now operates it as Schwan’s Cosmos Food, LLC. Schwan’s is itself majority-owned by CJ CheilJedang, the South Korean parent company of Bibigo.

Indirectly, yes, as of April 2024. Cosmos was acquired by Schwan’s Company, majority-owned by CJ CheilJedang since 2019 — the same conglomerate that owns Bibigo. Trade reporting indicates CJ began producing Bibigo-branded kimchi through the Schwan’s Cosmos Food subsidiary shortly after the deal closed. The two remain separate, competing consumer brands with unchanged packaging, but they now share a corporate parent.

The standard traditional Cosmos jar sold at retailers like Kroger and Ralphs does list Monosodium Glutamate on its ingredient panel, alongside fish sauce made from anchovy extract. However, Cosmos also produces a dedicated no-MSG variant of its classic napa cabbage recipe as a separate product — if you want to avoid MSG, look specifically for that labeling rather than assuming the standard jar is MSG-free.

The standard traditional Cosmos jar is not vegan — it contains fish sauce (anchovy extract), consistent with most traditional-style kimchi. However, Cosmos also makes a separate Organic Vegan Medley kimchi with organic cabbage, kale, radish, and carrot, confirmed free of MSG and animal products, and the company’s factory holds Vegan Action certification. Always check the specific product label.

They’re extremely close — Jongga scored 9.4/10 and Cosmos scored 9.1/10 in our testing. Cosmos has a larger cabbage cut, while Jongga is more widely available outside Korean grocery stores, including on Amazon in shelf-stable canned form, though Cosmos is also sold at Costco and Kroger-family stores. Both are among the most authentic-tasting options in our full ranking — see our full Jongga review for the details.

Cosmos is sold at H Mart and other Korean grocery stores, and is also confirmed available at Costco (as a 58 oz tub) and Kroger-family stores including Kroger and Ralphs (14 oz jar). Availability can vary by region and by store, so check locally. It is not reliably available through Amazon.

Not really as a primary channel. Searching Amazon mostly surfaces third-party-resold multi-packs of the 14oz jar at a markup over Costco or Kroger pricing, plus Cosmos’s bottled Kimchi Sauce. This differs from Jongga’s shelf-stable canned kimchi, which sells directly on Amazon, and Bibigo’s refrigerated cups, which are common on marketplace platforms. Cosmos’s core business runs through Korean grocers, Costco, and Kroger-family stores instead — Instacart is a more reliable way to get it delivered.

Cosmos sits at medium-to-medium-high heat in our testing, similar to Jongga, with a genuine gochugaru-based burn. The standard napa cabbage line is also sold in mild, regular, and extra hot versions, so heat level is adjustable by choosing the right variant.

Sodium figures vary slightly by source: retailer nutrition data (Instacart) lists 340mg per serving for the standard traditional line, while other sources cite figures closer to 300mg. Either way, it’s roughly in line with typical fermented kimchi.

Beyond the standard napa cabbage jar (mild, regular, extra hot, and no-MSG versions), Cosmos also makes an Organic Vegan Medley with kale, a radish kimchi, a cucumber kimchi, and a bottled Kimchi Sauce. Cosmos also manufactures private-label kimchi for other brands, including Josan and Frieda’s.

Cosmos’s City of Industry, California facility holds SQF Level II certification, CCOF Organic certification, and Vegan Action certification for its vegan lines. The company states it exceeds Safe Quality Food international standards.

We found no FDA recall specifically naming Cosmos Food Co. or Cosmos kimchi as of this article’s last update. Undeclared fish or shellfish allergens are a recurring issue at other brands in the broader kimchi category, which is useful context but not specific to Cosmos.

Yes — Cosmos’s refrigerated kimchi is naturally fermented, consistent with traditional Korean kimchi production. Cooking kimchi at high heat reduces live culture counts, so eat it cold if probiotic content matters most to you.

Reviewer opinion genuinely differs. Our own blind taste test rated Cosmos’s cabbage cut as the largest and crunchiest of any brand tested. An independent roundup (Cozymeal) describes it as comparatively softer with a more sour flavor. Both takes are presented honestly here — texture perception can vary by batch, freshness, and palate.

Retailer nutrition data for the standard Cosmos napa cabbage kimchi lists it as not gluten-free. Check the current label on the specific product and variant, since formulations can differ across the product line.

Yes — during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Cosmos Food supplied kimchi to a restaurant in the Olympic Village, the first time kimchi was served at the Games. It reportedly became a regular menu item there afterward.

Yes. Its deep, well-fermented flavor holds up well in cooked dishes like kimchi jjigae, kimchi fried rice, and kimchi pancakes. If you prefer a softer texture for a dish like soondubu jjigae, Cosmos is a particularly good fit since the cabbage softens further during cooking.

The traditional line uses napa cabbage, radish, fish sauce, and (in the standard SKU) MSG. The Organic Vegan Medley uses USDA-certified organic green cabbage, kale, radish, and carrot, with no MSG and no animal products.

Cosmos describes itself as the largest manufacturer and distributor of kimchi in the United States. Third-party estimates put annual revenue in the low millions with roughly 45 employees, though exact figures aren’t independently confirmed by the company.

According to a 2009 profile of the company, Cosmos has produced private-label kimchi for other brands, including Josan and Frieda’s, in addition to its own Cosmos-branded line — a common arrangement in the packaged kimchi industry.

They serve different niches. Cleveland Kitchen is a US-founded, non-Korean-owned brand widely stocked at Walmart, Target, and on Amazon, and it’s a solid mainstream option. Cosmos is a Korean-American, family-founded manufacturer with over 50 years in the category and scored higher in our blind flavor testing, but it’s harder to find outside Costco, Kroger-family stores, and Korean grocers. See our full Cleveland Kitchen review for the direct comparison.

Yes — Cosmos is our #2 overall pick out of 18 brands, sits right behind Jongga on flavor, and is backed by more than 50 years of dedicated kimchi manufacturing and genuine food-safety and organic certifications. It’s a strong choice whether you’re shopping at a Korean grocery store, Costco, or a Kroger-family supermarket.