Busan City Special Judicial Police Conduct Special Crackdown to Ensure Food Safety for Children and Elderly

Special Inspections at Daycare Centers, Senior Welfare Facilities, and Food Retailers Throughout July
Rising Summer Temperatures Increase Food Safety Risks... Ensuring Safe Meals for Children and Seniors

The Busan City Special Judicial Police will conduct a special crackdown on food safety management throughout July, focusing on group meal facilities at daycare centers and senior welfare facilities, as well as food sales businesses within these group meal facilities.

Summary of Busan Metropolitan City Special Judicial Police Division's Planned Investigation.

This crackdown has been prepared to preemptively prevent food safety accidents such as food poisoning, which become more likely as temperatures rise in the summer.

In particular, the crackdown will focus on group meal facilities and related food sales businesses to ensure the safety of food for children and the elderly, who are especially vulnerable to the summer heat and require special attention to their health.

The main focus areas of the crackdown include: ▲ use of products past their expiration date ▲ use of unlicensed or unlabeled ingredients ▲ false or confusing labeling of ingredient origins. In particular, the authorities plan to intensively monitor for poor management of ingredients that could directly or indirectly affect the health of children and the elderly.

For more effective enforcement, scientific methods such as pork origin testing kits and collaborative inspections with specialized agencies like the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service and the Institute of Health and Environment will be actively utilized.

The Special Judicial Police plan to take strict actions such as criminal charges against businesses found to be in violation during this special crackdown, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

If products past their expiration date are used in food preparation, penalties will be imposed under the Food Sanitation Act. If unlabeled products are used in food manufacturing or preparation, penalties will be imposed under the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, with offenders facing up to three years of imprisonment or fines of up to 30 million won.

Mayor Park Hyungjoon stated, "This crackdown was planned to ensure the safety of food for children and the elderly, who are especially vulnerable to the summer heat and require special attention to their health," adding, "The city will take strict measures against illegal activities related to food and meal services that may threaten the health of citizens through this operation."

The city's Special Judicial Police are accepting citizen reports of illegal activities through the Food Investigation Team.