Braised Anchovies on the Table... Turns Out They Were 'Fishing Bait'

Gang caught selling imported anchovies as domestic anchovies
Non-edible anchovies supplied to restaurants... used in Melguk and others

The representative of a seafood distribution company who supplied frozen anchovies used as fishing bait to restaurants by disguising them as edible products has been caught and sent to the prosecution.

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Photo by Getty Images

On the 15th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (hereinafter referred to as MFDS) announced that it had caught and sent to the prosecution the representative of a distribution company who disguised non-edible frozen anchovies from Mexico as edible and supplied them, on charges of violating the Food Sanitation Act. Earlier, since December last year, the MFDS received information from the Jeju branch of the National Fishery Products Quality Management Service about companies selling non-edible imported frozen anchovies to general restaurants and began an investigation.

The MFDS caught seafood distribution company B, which purchased non-edible frozen anchovies from importer company A. When the supply of edible anchovies in Korea became insufficient in June 2022, company B purchased non-edible frozen anchovies from company A, then disguised them as edible anchovies used in food and distributed them to general restaurants in Jeju city. It was investigated that the total amount of frozen anchovies purchased by company B from June 30, 2022, to January 8 of this year was 28.6 tons (1,907 boxes). Among these, 28 tons (1,865 boxes) were distributed to general restaurants and used as edible products in dishes such as Mel twigim (fried anchovies), Mel jorim (braised anchovies), and Melguk (anchovy soup).

Non-edible frozen anchovies supplied to general restaurants and retail stores.
[Photo by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety]

The MFDS urged general restaurants and retail businesses that received the non-edible frozen anchovies to immediately return or dispose of them. The 42 boxes of non-edible frozen anchovies stored by company B were arranged to be sold as feed.

The MFDS stated, "When importing edible seafood, importers must report to the MFDS and undergo inspections for lead, cadmium, mercury, benzo[a]pyrene, histamine, and other items, and if they meet the standards, they can be brought into the country." It added, "Non-edible seafood does not undergo import inspection by the MFDS, so its safety for consumption cannot be confirmed, requiring special caution."