Posted on the homepage under CEO Kim Sunhee's name
"Valve operation error confirmed to cause mixing for 1 second"
All products with expiration date February 16 recalled
Maeil Dairies officially apologized on the 16th regarding the contamination of cleaning water in some of its sterilized milk products. The company issued the apology just four days after voluntarily recalling some 'Maeil Milk Original Sterilized 200㎖' products on the 13th due to the contamination.
On the same day, Maeil Dairies posted an apology statement on its official website under the name of Vice Chairman and CEO Kim Sun-hee, stating, "A quality incident that should never have occurred in Maeil Milk products, trusted and consumed for the health of everyone from young children to the elderly, has happened," and added, "We sincerely apologize to our customers who were shocked."
It continued, "We confirmed that cleaning solution was mixed in for about one second due to a valve operation error during production," and explained, "Approximately 50 products produced at that time were delivered to a specific client."
Maeil Dairies announced, "The company has decided to recall all products produced on that day (with an expiration date of February 16, 2025)." The affected products were manufactured at the Gwangju factory on September 19.
So far, Maeil Dairies has recalled more than 15,000 products. The company stated, "This was something that should never have happened even in a single pack of milk," and expressed deep regret over the shortcomings in production management and quality inspection procedures. It also promised, "We have immediately improved the software system to completely prevent operational errors and will continuously strengthen the quality safety management system."
Additionally, consumers who have the Maeil Milk Sterilized Original 200㎖ mid-pack product with the expiration date 'February 16, 2025' are asked to contact the customer center. The company said, "If any customers have consumed spoiled products and received treatment or experienced discomfort, we will do our best to assist them."
This incident was confirmed after some employees at a large corporation’s research institute reported stomach pain, abnormal odor, and discoloration after receiving the Maeil Milk Original Sterilized 200㎖ product as part of their in-house meals on the 12th. Maeil Dairies inspected equipment and processes to identify the cause and confirmed that cleaning water was mixed into some products due to a work error during equipment cleaning.
A Maeil Dairies official stated, "There are rumors that victims vomited blood after drinking the milk, but this is not true," adding, "Most victims returned home after treatment, and we plan to discuss compensation after their health recovers."
As of 9:34 a.m., Maeil Dairies’ stock price was 34,200 won, down 3% from the previous trading day.
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