MFDS, 110 Food Businesses Violating Food Sanitation Act Detected Ahead of Lunar New Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 5th that it had identified 110 locations violating the Food Sanitation Act and other regulations after inspecting the hygiene management status of holiday seasonal foods in collaboration with local governments ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

The inspection was conducted from the 25th to the 29th of last month, targeting 5,968 manufacturers of seasonal foods for ancestral rites or gifts, as well as retailers such as department stores and marts. As a result, 110 locations were found to have violated the Food Sanitation Act, the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act, and the Health Functional Foods Act.

The main violations included ▲ unsanitary handling (21 locations) ▲ failure to conduct health examinations (39 locations) ▲ failure to provide internal hygiene education for employees at livestock product companies (8 locations) ▲ failure to prepare documents (8 locations) ▲ violation of facility standards (8 locations) ▲ other violations (26 locations). Administrative measures will be taken by the relevant local food and drug offices or local governments against the identified companies, and re-inspections will be conducted within three months.

Additionally, 2,048 samples of products including buchimgae (Korean pancakes), fried foods, and agricultural and marine products distributed in the market, including those produced by the inspected companies, were collected and tested. Among the 675 samples that completed testing, 3 were found to be non-compliant with standards and specifications due to insufficient content, detection of food poisoning bacteria, and excessive pesticide residues, and were disposed of.

To ensure the safety of imported foods for ancestral rites and gifts, a detailed inspection at the import customs clearance stage was conducted from the 18th to the 27th of last month. Among 489 cases, 2 were found to exceed the standard for benzo[a]pyrene.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated, "We will do our best to ensure a safe environment for purchasing ancestral rite and gift foods ahead of the holiday by conducting thorough preemptive safety management," and urged, "If you witness any violations related to food safety or suspect defective food products, please report them through the defective food reporting hotline."