The previously illegal resale of health functional foods such as red ginseng will now be allowed.
On the 7th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that starting from the 8th, it will begin a one-year "Pilot Project for Personal Transactions of Health Functional Foods" to establish reasonable improvement measures for small-scale personal transactions of health functional foods.
A sales post for red ginseng products that was posted on a secondhand trading platform during the last holiday [Photo source = Capture from secondhand trading platform]
Currently, it is illegal for ordinary individuals to trade health functional foods. This is because the sale of health functional foods is only permitted to those who have registered their business with a pharmacy or local government. Violations can result in imprisonment for up to five years or fines up to 50 million KRW. However, as the health functional food market continues to grow, cases of gifting and reselling unwanted health functional foods have also increased. According to the Korea Consumer Agency in 2022, among 5,434 prohibited transactions detected on secondhand trading platforms, health functional foods accounted for 92.5% (5,029 cases).
Accordingly, following a recommendation for improvement on "Personal Transactions of Health Functional Foods" by the Regulatory Review Division of the Office for Government Policy Coordination in January, this pilot project is being conducted to verify the possibility of regulatory improvements within the scope that ensures the safety and distribution order of health functional foods.
This pilot project will be operated on two secondhand trading platforms, Danggeun Market and Bungaejangter, which have established systems to ensure safety and sound distribution, such as dedicated categories for personal transactions and a business operator filtering system based on transaction eligibility criteria. Other types of personal transactions remain illegal even during the pilot project period.
Pilot Project for Personal Transactions of Health Functional Foods Image [Photo by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety]
Products for transaction must be unopened and all product labeling information, including product name and health functional food certification marks, must be fully visible. The remaining shelf life must be at least six months. Additionally, storage standards specify that only products stored at room temperature or ambient temperature are allowed, as refrigerated products may be adversely affected depending on storage conditions.
The number of sales per individual is limited to no more than 10 times per year and a cumulative amount of 300,000 KRW to prevent excessive personal sales for profit. Foods personally imported through overseas direct purchase or proxy purchase for self-consumption cannot be traded.
The pilot project will run for one year starting from the 8th. Afterward, the results of the project operation will be analyzed to decide whether to institutionalize the system to benefit the daily lives of the public.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
