CU Convenience Store and Baek Jong-won Collaborate on Planned Product
MFDS Confirms During Product Processing
A plastic oil lid was found in the so-called ‘Baek Jong-won Dosirak’ sold at a famous convenience store. The convenience store shifted the responsibility to the subcontracted manufacturer that made the dosirak. The manufacturer, which had consistently ignored the customer, belatedly apologized once media coverage began.
According to a report by Yonhap News on the 6th, Mr. A, a self-employed person in his 40s living in Incheon, purchased a ‘Baek Jong-won New Meat Double Set Meal’ dosirak at a CU convenience store around 10 p.m. on the 24th of last month.
A cooking oil cap was found in the stir-fried pork lunchbox sold at U Convenience Store. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety conducted an unannounced inspection of the manufacturing site and confirmed that it was included during the production process. [Photo by Yonhap News]
While eating the stir-fried pork, he bit into something hard like cartilage and spat it out, later discovering it was a plastic lid. After reporting this to the convenience store’s head office customer center, the store had the subcontracted manufacturer contact Mr. A.
Mr. A reported the incident to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, but when the manufacturer became aware of it, they stated there was nothing they could do and took no action. The authorities’ investigation determined that the plastic found in the dosirak was the lid of the cooking oil used to make the stir-fried pork.
The Gyeongin Food and Drug Safety Office (hereinafter Gyeongin Office) of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety conducted an unannounced inspection of the manufacturer and confirmed that foreign substances were mixed in during the production process. Upon examining the raw materials and packaging containers used for the stir-fried pork in the dosirak, the Gyeongin Office found that the foreign substance reported by Mr. A matched the shape and material of the cooking oil lid used by the manufacturer.
At that time, the manufacturer admitted the mistake and reportedly promised to strictly manage hygiene to prevent foreign substances from entering the food. The Gyeongin Office notified the Gwangju City Hall in Gyeonggi Province, the jurisdictional authority of the manufacturer, to impose administrative sanctions.
Mr. A bought and ate the 'Baek Jong-won New Meat Double Set Meal' lunchbox at a CU convenience store and found a cooking oil cap inside. [Photo by Yonhap News]
The dosirak in question was a product developed, produced, and sold by BGF Retail, which operates CU convenience stores, in collaboration with CEO Baek Jong-won. Both the convenience store and the manufacturer, which had responded complacently, showed a changed attitude after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s investigation results were released and media coverage began.
The convenience store also issued an official statement with similar content. Both the manufacturer and the convenience store expressed their intention to visit Mr. A in person to apologize, but Mr. A said there was no need and asked them to pay more attention to product hygiene management.
The Korea Food and Drug Administration's Gyeongin Food and Drug Safety Office conducted a surprise inspection of a lunchbox manufacturer and confirmed that foreign substances had entered during the manufacturing process. [Photo by Yonhap News]
A BGF Retail official told Yonhap News, “We apologize for the inconvenience caused regarding product quality. Along with a sincere apology, we will resolve the issue through continuous communication with customers about compensation measures. We will work to improve so that the same problem does not recur.”
Mr. A added, “No foreign substance, no matter how small, should appear in food, so I cannot understand how such a large piece of plastic came out of a dosirak made by a large company. Thinking about how many foreign substances I might have unknowingly consumed until now worries me. I hope this issue becomes public so that companies understand the fear of consumers.”
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