'Preventing Hamburger Disease'... Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police to Intensively Inspect 360 Ground Meat Product Manufacturers

Gyeonggi Province will conduct a wide-ranging investigation targeting ground meat product manufacturers for two weeks from June 16 to June 27, ahead of the summer season when temperatures rise and outdoor dining increases, in order to prevent "hamburger disease."

"Hamburger disease" is a term that refers to enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection, named after an incident in which dozens of children became infected after eating hamburgers containing contaminated ground beef at a fast food restaurant.

Symptoms caused by enterohemorrhagic E. coli, which mainly occur in the summer, include diarrhea, severe cramping abdominal pain, bloody stools, vomiting, and mild fever. These bacteria are eliminated by heat, so it is important to cook meat thoroughly.

Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police Unit's Intensive Investigation Notice Poster on Illegal Activities of Ground Meat Product Manufacturers

The Special Judicial Police Unit of the province will deploy a total of 920 investigators across 12 centers for this investigation, selecting 360 businesses for intensive inspection among livestock product processing companies and meat packaging and processing companies that produce ground meat-related products.

The main inspection items include: ▲ falsely or confusingly labeling the origin of products ▲ violating product labeling standards ▲ storing livestock products past their consumption date without marking them as "for disposal" ▲ failing to conduct self-quality inspections of livestock products.

Under the current "Origin Labeling Act," falsely labeling the origin of products is punishable by up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won. Under the "Food Labeling and Advertisement Act," failing to meet product labeling standards is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. In addition, storing livestock products past their consumption date without marking them as "for disposal," or failing to conduct self-quality inspections of livestock products, is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 3 million won.

Kiido, head of the Provincial Special Judicial Police Unit, stated, "Ahead of the full-fledged summer season, we will do our utmost to protect residents' health and create a safe food environment through intensive investigations of ground meat product manufacturers."