Two High School Meal Suppliers of 'Gaeguri' Young Radish Kimchi Notified of HACCP Non-Compliance

Dead Frogs Found Consecutively in Side Dishes of High School Meals in Gangseo-gu and Jung-gu
Frogs Entered During Ingredient Delivery, Not Filtered Out During Pickling and Washing
Company A Supplying Gangseo-gu High Schools Admits Fault, Receives Correction Order
Company B Supplying Jung-gu High Schools Under Investigation... Contracts Maintained with 72 Schools

Regarding the discovery of a frog carcass in side dishes served at a high school lunch in Seoul, two suppliers have been notified of 'non-compliance' with HACCP certification by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

On the 22nd, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced the status of measures based on inspections of schools where foreign substances were recently detected in school meals and on-site investigations of the suppliers. On the 30th of last month, a frog carcass was found in the young radish kimchi side dish at a high school in Gangseo-gu, and on the 15th, another was found at a high school in Jung-gu. It is presumed that foreign substances entered during the material intake process at the Gangseo-gu high school and were not filtered out during the pickling and washing process, while the Jung-gu high school case is still under investigation.

Company A, located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, which supplied the Gangseo-gu high school, and Company B, located in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, which supplied the Jung-gu high school, both received non-compliance notifications from their respective local food and drug authorities during HACCP evaluations and have been issued first corrective orders. If they fail the second evaluation, their certification will be revoked. Seongnam City plans to impose a 15-day suspension of product manufacturing on Company A in accordance with the Food Sanitation Act violation standards.

Company A acknowledged its fault and has been restricted from participating in the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation's electronic procurement system (eaT) for one month. Company A terminated contracts with six of the eleven schools to which it had supplied kimchi in June. Company B and the Jung-gu high school underwent hygiene inspections, and the cause of the incident is under investigation. Among the 74 schools contracted with Company B, two schools terminated their contracts, while the remaining schools decided to maintain their contracts until the results are notified.

A Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official explained, "At the Jung-gu high school, the frog carcass was found in young radish kimchi noodles, but there is debate over whether it came from the noodles, eggs, cucumber greens, or young radish, which are the sub-ingredients. Company B claims it is not at fault, and since it has not been determined to be the company's negligence, schools find it difficult to unilaterally terminate contracts and are therefore taking a cautious stance."

The School Health Promotion Institute is also considering separating meals for large schools with over 3,000 students that prepare meals jointly in a single kitchen. In the case of Gangseo-gu A High School, joint meal provision for a total of four schools and insufficient inspection management were identified as secondary causes. Before the vacation, special inspections will be conducted targeting school meal managers who provide three meals a day to check ingredient inspections and listen to meal-related grievances. Consulting for the Gangseo-gu A High School meal facilities is also planned for July.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education believes that difficulties in washing young radish kimchi and the serving process contributed to the repeated occurrence of frog carcasses in the young radish kimchi. The office explained, "Young radish kimchi has a dark color, making it difficult to identify foreign substances (such as frogs) that have camouflage coloring, and the leaves are tangled, so they may not be removed during washing. When washing young radish kimchi strongly, it emits a grassy smell, so hand washing is often used. Additionally, summer is the active season for green frogs, which have suction pads that make them hard to remove."