The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 23rd that, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, it inspected 7,717 food manufacturing, importing, cooking, and sales businesses to ensure the safety of gift and ceremonial foods, and found 115 businesses (1.5%) violating the Food Sanitation Act and the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act.
From the 6th to the 10th, the Ministry conducted inspections together with 17 local governments and requested administrative actions from the relevant authorities against the violating businesses.
In the food sector, including alcoholic beverages, processed foods, and cooked foods, a total of 91 violations were found. The main violations included ▲ failure to conduct health examinations (32 cases) ▲ violations of business operator compliance requirements (20 cases) ▲ violations of hygienic handling standards (20 cases).
The Ministry detected a business that extended the shelf life of Daegupo and Ojingeopo products (seasoned dried fish products), commonly used for ceremonial foods during the holiday, by about 2 years and 6 months and sold them. The distributed products were recalled, and products stored for sale were seized.
In the livestock products sector, 24 violations were found, with main violations including ▲ failure to conduct health examinations (9 cases) ▲ violations of business operator compliance requirements (3 cases).
Additionally, the Ministry collected 2,627 items of health functional foods such as vitamins and red ginseng, and agricultural, livestock, and marine products such as mushrooms, croaker fish, and packaged meat distributed domestically, and tested for residual pesticides, heavy metals, and foodborne pathogens. Of the 1,910 items tested so far, all met standards and specifications, but 2 snack items were found non-compliant and will be subject to administrative action and disposal by the relevant authorities.
At the customs clearance stage, detailed inspections for heavy metals, veterinary drugs, and residual pesticides were conducted on 670 items including processed foods such as fruit and vegetable processed products, agricultural, livestock, and marine products such as bracken, carrots, and pollock, and health functional foods such as complex nutrients. Of the 512 items tested so far, all met standards and specifications, but 2 items were found non-compliant.
Through online monitoring, 320 advertisements for foods claiming efficacy such as immune enhancement and gut health were inspected, resulting in the detection of 45 cases (14.1%) of false or exaggerated advertising.
The main violations included ▲ 22 cases (48.9%) of advertisements misleading consumers to confuse general foods as health functional foods ▲ 16 cases (35.6%) of advertisements that could cause consumers to perceive foods as having disease prevention or treatment effects ▲ 5 cases (11.1%) of false or exaggerated advertising.
Advertising for medical products such as functional cosmetics, quasi-drugs, and medical devices was also inspected, with 302 cases of false, exaggerated, or unfair advertising detected out of 520 advertisements checked.
Businesses found violating regulations will be re-inspected within six months by the local Ministry of Food and Drug Safety offices or local governments to verify improvements. Imported foods that fail customs inspections will undergo detailed inspections (five consecutive times) if the same products are imported again in the future.
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