Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Uncover 10 Cases of Illegal Food and Livestock Product Activities Ahead of Chuseok

The Gyeonggi Provincial Special Judicial Police Unit conducted an intensive investigation targeting 360 food manufacturing and processing businesses, as well as livestock product processing and sales establishments in the province ahead of Chuseok, uncovering 10 cases of illegal activities.

The Special Judicial Police Unit announced on October 1 that, reflecting the increase in online purchases of seasonal foods ahead of the holiday, it proactively carried out investigations from September 15 to 26. As a result, it detected a total of 10 violations: three cases of storing products past their consumption date, one case of violating sanitary handling standards for foods, three cases of labeling standard violations, one case of failing to update business registration, one case of violating preservation standards, and one case of not keeping production operation logs.

Key violations included a livestock product sales business in Hwaseong City (referred to as Establishment A), which stored a total of 8.1 kg of pork belly and lamb ribs past their consumption dates in a freezer without labeling them as “for disposal.” In Siheung City, a meat instant sales and processing business (Establishment B) was found to have stored 37.8 kg of Korean beef ribs, which require refrigeration, in a freezer while conducting business.

In Suwon City, a livestock product sales business (Establishment C) failed to indicate essential labeling information such as meat type, part name, grade, and consumption date while storing 80 kg of Korean beef sirloin and 30 kg of Korean beef ribs in a refrigerator, and 12 kg of LA ribs and 75 kg of pork in a freezer. In Anyang City, a food manufacturing and processing business (Establishment D) was found to have the inside of its seasoned seaweed production machine contaminated with grease and foreign substances and to have handled sub-ingredients such as sesame oil in an unsanitary manner.

Results of Online Sales Crackdown on Chuseok Seasonal Products by Gyeonggi Provincial Special Judicial Police Unit

In Anyang City, another food manufacturing and processing business (Establishment E) was caught storing raw materials outside the business premises without registering a change of business location.

Storing expired livestock products without labeling them as “for disposal” or violating preservation standards constitutes a violation of the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act. Failure to label or improper labeling is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won under the Food Labeling and Advertising Act.

In particular, failure to register a change of business location with the relevant authorities is subject to up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won under the Food Sanitation Act, while violating sanitary handling standards for foods can result in a fine of up to 5 million won.

Ki Ido, head of the Gyeonggi Provincial Special Judicial Police Unit, stated, “Investigating illegal activities related to seasonal foods, for which demand increases ahead of Chuseok, is both the responsibility and mission of the Special Judicial Police Unit to protect the health and safety of provincial residents. We will respond to illegal acts with a zero-tolerance policy, but we will also provide detailed guidance to business owners to ensure compliance with the law and help establish a safe food culture, so that violations due to negligence or mistakes do not occur.”