"Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie, Buying Anywhere Could Be Risky"... Surge in Hygiene Complaints

19 Cases of Food Sanitation Act Violations Reported for Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie
Hygiene Management and Unlicensed Business Operations Top the List with 7 Cases Each
Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to Inspect Over 3,600 Establishments Starting This Month

It has been revealed that multiple reports of violations of the Food Sanitation Act related to the dessert "Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie" have been filed with the Integrated Center for Reporting Fraudulent and Substandard Foods.

At the "2026 Cafe Dessert Fair" held at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, the currently popular dessert "Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie" is attracting the attention of visitors. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to data submitted by Assemblywoman Seo Mihwa of the Democratic Party to the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, a total of 19 cases of violations related to Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie were reported to the Integrated Center for Reporting Fraudulent and Substandard Foods from late last year through January of this year.

The first report was filed in November of last year, when Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie began to gain widespread popularity, and eight cases were reported by December.

In January of this year, 11 reports were filed. The most common types of violations were hygiene management and unlicensed business operations, with seven cases each. There were also reports of foreign substances found (2 cases), other violations (2 cases), and labeling issues (1 case).

Reasons cited for hygiene management reports included: "It was unclear whether the substance on the product purchased at a cafe was mold or cocoa powder," "Experienced symptoms of food poisoning after eating the product at a cafe," and "Found a foreign object the size of a fingernail after purchasing and eating the product at an event booth."

Reports of unlicensed business operations included "Individuals selling the product" and "Homemade products being sold on secondhand sales websites." Among these, the case of an individual selling the product resulted in a formal complaint. Other reasons related to foreign substances included "Found a hard foreign object while consuming the product."

Among other violations, there were cases where both labeling and hygiene management requirements were violated, such as "No expiration date indicated, and hygiene checks such as health certificates and mask-wearing are needed."

Except for the one case that resulted in a formal complaint, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued administrative guidance for the remaining violations.

As the Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie craze continues, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that, starting this month, it will conduct intensive inspections of more than 3,600 establishments that prepare and sell related desserts, including delivery restaurants. The inspections will target restaurants specializing in preparing and delivering desserts such as Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie and chocolate cake, as well as unmanned ice cream specialty stores.

In particular, since the main ingredients of Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie are imported foods, authorities plan to focus on inspecting for unreported imported foods and the storage or use of products past their expiration date.

Assemblywoman Seo Mihwa stated, "The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety must closely monitor changing food trends and fads, and create a safe food environment for the public through proactive hygiene inspections."

Dubai Jjondeuk Cookie is a dessert wrapped in marshmallow dough, filled with Middle Eastern-style thin noodles called kadaif and pistachio spread. It has gained explosive popularity among teenagers and people in their twenties through word of mouth on social networking services (SNS).