"A Fly in the Ramen" as Chuseok Approaches... Highway Rest Area Hygiene on Alert

20 Violations of Food Sanitation Act Found in Five Years
Incidents Include Flies, Crickets, and String Found in Food

With the nine-day Chuseok holiday approaching, the hygiene conditions of highway rest area restaurants have come under scrutiny. As many people are expected to use rest areas while traveling to and from their hometowns, thorough hygiene management is required.

Foreign substances were found in rest area restaurants and cafes, including flies in ramen, medicine packets in bowls of rice, and string detected in soup. Additionally, crickets were mixed in udon, and solid foreign objects were found in beverages. Photo by Getty Images

According to data submitted by Assemblyman Jeong Heeyong of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, to Korea Expressway Corporation, there were 20 cases of violations of the Food Sanitation Act at highway rest area restaurants and cafes nationwide over the past five years, from 2021 to last month.

Of these, foreign substance contamination was the most common, accounting for 9 cases, followed by improper handling of food and related items (4 cases), non-compliance with water quality tests (2 cases), failure of staff to wear sanitary hats (2 cases), and poor hygiene in the kitchen (1 case).

In particular, among the cases of foreign substance contamination, flies were found in ramen, medicine packets were found in bowls of rice, and string was detected in soup. Additionally, crickets were mixed in udon, and solid foreign objects were found in beverages.

Rest areas are bustling with travelers (This photo is for illustrative purposes and is not directly related). Photo by Kang Jinhyung

Assemblyman Jeong stated, "The management of food hygiene at highway rest areas is something that cannot be neglected even for a moment," and added, "The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Korea Expressway Corporation, and local governments must work to ensure that travelers can use rest areas with peace of mind during the Chuseok holiday."