Assigning Origin Management Grades for Agricultural and Livestock Products... Expansion to Processed Food Restaurants and Retailers

Nonggwanwon Scores Origin Labels at 1.56 Million Sites, Manages in 3 Grades
Inspection Frequency Differentiated... Simplified Raw Material Submission for Excellent Companies

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] To prevent violations of origin regulations, agricultural and livestock product origin management grades will be assigned to 1.56 million food service and retail businesses nationwide by 2024. The system will be applied to 280,000 manufacturing and processing companies by next year and to food service and retail businesses by 2024, respectively.

On the 1st, the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service announced that it will increase the assignment of origin management grades and differentiate inspection cycles and methods according to the grades.

The agency judged that with the expansion of agricultural and livestock product imports, cases of origin violations are increasing and the methods of violation are becoming more sophisticated, making enforcement difficult.

In response, a grading system will be applied to businesses subject to origin labeling. Considering the characteristics of processed foods, origin management will be strengthened and management will be systematized from production and import to consumption.

Source=National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service

From this year to next year, 280,000 food manufacturing and processing companies will be assigned origin management grades step-by-step; in 2023 to restaurants, and in 2024 to retail businesses.

1.56 million businesses subject to origin labeling will be graded as Priority Management (1?40 points), Watch List (41?79 points), and Excellent (80 points or above).

Priority Management businesses will be inspected once a month, Watch List businesses once every six months, and Excellent businesses once every two years. For Excellent businesses, submission of documents such as raw material intake records will be simplified.

Source: National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service

Inspections on raw agricultural and livestock products used by food manufacturing and processing companies in making processed foods will be strengthened. The 'distribution checkpoints' where raw materials are mixed will be intensively inspected.

The agency will consolidate 2 to 4 local offices at the county level into one zone and conduct special inspections of manufacturing and processing companies at least twice a month in 46 zones nationwide.

Additionally, it will promote ▲inspection of the distribution process of processed foods using imported agricultural and livestock products in cooperation with the Korea Customs Service ▲management of origin violation cases in non-face-to-face transactions such as shopping malls and delivery apps ▲strengthening investigative capabilities of the special judicial police unit for origin enforcement (Special Judicial Police).

An official from the agency urged, "Businesses subject to origin labeling for agricultural and livestock products and processed foods should accurately understand the origin labeling system and label origins correctly to avoid penalties for false or erroneous origin labeling."