Gyeonggi Province has established a foundation to support the formulation of food safety policies for its residents and to enable related organizations to form a consultative body for prompt response in case of urgent issues.
On the 15th, Gyeonggi Province announced that the Gyeonggi Provincial Council held the 2nd plenary session of the extraordinary meeting and passed the "Gyeonggi-do Food Safety Basic Ordinance" containing these provisions. With this, Gyeonggi Province has further solidified the institutional foundation to guarantee the basic right to food for its residents.
The ordinance specifies the residents' right to receive safe and healthy food and allows for the establishment and support of policies related to food safety, including food certification and safety inspections.
In particular, through the formation and operation of the Gyeonggi-do Food Safety Consultative Body, a system has been established to discuss improvements to the food safety system and current issues. The consultative body will include related organizations such as Gyeonggi Province, the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, the National Fisheries Products Quality Management Service, the Regional Food and Drug Safety Office, the Livestock Products Quality Evaluation Institute, and the Korea Consumer Agency.
Additionally, it allows for the operation or support of certification policies for food safety, such as excellent food certification and non-genetically modified food certification.
Gyeonggi Province expects that the passage of this ordinance will further strengthen the food safety management system. Previously dispersed systems will be integrated under the basic ordinance for consistent implementation, and in the event of a food safety incident, a consultative body with central government agencies will be established to enable swift and systematic response in crisis situations.
Park Jong-min, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Agriculture, Fisheries and Life Sciences Bureau, said, "The enactment of the Gyeonggi-do Food Safety Basic Ordinance will play an important role in strengthening food safety for residents and establishing a systematic management system. We will continue to develop an environment where all residents of Gyeonggi Province can consume food with peace of mind."
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