2kg Domestic Saeujeot Shrimp Paste Contains Cigarette Butt
"Mart Apologizes, but Manufacturer Is Curt"
A cigarette butt was found in 2kg of domestically produced salted shrimp purchased from a grocery mart, sparking controversy mainly on online communities.
A self-employed person, Mr. A, who claimed that a cigarette butt was found in salted shrimp, attached the following photo. [Photo by Online Community]
On the 7th, a post titled "Foreign substance found in salted shrimp" was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, said, "I got upset. I urgently needed it, so I bought 2kg of salted shrimp from a neighborhood grocery mart and was transferring it to a bowl when something suddenly fell."
In the photo posted by Mr. A, a cigarette butt inside the salted shrimp is visible as he poured the shrimp into a bowl. Mr. A immediately took a photo and informed the mart.
Mr. A said, "It’s absurd and infuriating. The mart staff apologized, but the manufacturer’s side called in the morning and showed a curt attitude, so I said I would call back around noon after waking up properly to respond," adding, "I found it while scooping out only 1kg, so it’s a relief, but thinking about it being seasoned and served to customers is chilling. It’s absurd that a domestic manufacturer would do this. How should I report this?"
Netizens who saw the post responded with comments such as, "The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety should step in. It’s disgusting," "The factory’s hygiene must be serious," and "I won’t buy food outside anymore. It’s fortunate the owner discovered it quickly."
■ How to respond when foreign substances are found in food
- Record the situation when the foreign substance was found for an accurate investigation of the cause.
- Example: Found while cutting pizza, found immediately after opening delivery food packaging, etc.
2. Store the foreign substance in a zipper bag or airtight container.
- Keep the foreign substance safe until it is submitted to the investigation agency to prevent loss or damage.
3. Report directly to 1399.
- Submit the found foreign substance to the investigation agency for a smooth cause investigation.
- The investigation agency (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, local government) will conduct the investigation and notify you of the results directly, so wait for the outcome.
4. Report on the Food Safety Korea website.
- Go to Integrated Civil Complaint Consultation → Report Illegal or Substandard Food → Consumer Report → Safe Food Information in My Hand → Consumer Report section to file a report. It is also available via an app downloadable from the app store.
- The food foreign substance report process consists of report reception → cause investigation → result judgment → result notification.
※ False reporting of foreign substance discovery may result in imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million KRW.
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