[2020 Asia Consumer Awards] CJ CheilJedang's No.1 Safe and Delicious 'Bibigo Juk'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] CJ CheilJedang, honored with the Minister of Food and Drug Safety Award at the 14th Asia Consumer Awards, received high marks for product and service safety as well as various activities aimed at consumer protection.

CJ CheilJedang's food safety philosophy is ‘Safety management that thinks first and takes the lead from the customer's perspective.’ Because it prevents many potential hazards from the consumer's point of view rather than the supplier's, safety management is systematically carried out. In fact, during the food crises that heated up the food industry, CJ CheilJedang's major products were able to focus on their core business without major incidents. Despite having over a thousand product items as the largest food company in Korea, it is evaluated that they demonstrated ironclad safety management despite many risk factors.

At the Nonsan plant, which produces various CJ CheilJedang products, the facility is designed and operated to block potential hazards at each stage through thorough verification from raw material selection to final product shipment. In particular, raw materials entering the plant must pass CJ CheilJedang's own stringent standard inspections, which are stricter than legally mandated specifications, before being accepted. Over 30 types of CJ CheilJedang's own standard inspections are conducted, covering hazards such as residual pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and microbial factors including E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and Staphylococcus aureus. The incoming raw materials undergo various processes to prevent foreign substances or defective products from affecting subsequent processes. All process lines, from raw material blending to transfer to the maturation room, are conducted through sealed pipelines to eliminate the possibility of problems. The production system is fully automated, with packaging materials from the third floor automatically descending through pipes to the first floor, followed by filling, packaging, and movement to an automated logistics warehouse.

Along with strict raw material management, utmost care is taken for food safety. All areas where manufacturing processes occur are managed as clean zones under strict standards. Workers must wear hygiene caps, masks, sanitary clothing, and sanitary shoes, remove dust from their entire body, and pass through an air shower procedure before entering the workspace. Air quality inside the plant is regularly tested to ensure microbial contamination does not exceed standards, and the internal air pressure is set slightly higher than outside to fundamentally prevent contaminated air from entering, demonstrating special efforts in environmental hygiene.

Such food safety management at CJ CheilJedang is overseen by the industry's top food safety experts who have introduced state-of-the-art analytical equipment, taking responsibility for safety activities throughout all stages from product launch to manufacturing and distribution of all CJ CheilJedang products. They meticulously manage not only the safety verification system for newly launched products but also the monitoring of various harmful substances for which domestic standards have not yet been established.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.