MFDS "Simplifying HACCP Certification Procedures for Food and Livestock Products... Legal Revision Within the Year"

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) will complete amendments to laws and regulations related to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system for food and livestock products by the end of this year to reduce the burden on business operators. Outstanding establishments will be exempted from mandatory regular training the following year, and the certification application process will be simplified.

According to the MFDS on the 26th, the regulation will be relaxed so that the HACCP general manager can receive the required training for new food HACCP certification instead of the business owner.

In the case of livestock HACCP, applicants must currently submit a training completion certificate when applying for certification, but this will be improved so that training can be completed within six months after certification. Additionally, establishments that score 95% or higher in evaluation items during regular inspections will be exempted from regular training the following year.

The certification application process will also be simplified. Previously, the original certificate had to be submitted when applying for an extension of food HACCP certification. However, to reduce the management burden caused by loss or damage of the certificate, submission of a copy will now be allowed.

Currently, when applying for livestock HACCP certification, a voluminous 'Self-Safety Management Certification Standard' including all management items must be submitted. To alleviate the time and cost burden on business operators, it will be improved so that only key items such as Critical Control Points (CCP) can be included in the submitted 'Safety Management Certification Plan (HACCP Plan)'. Furthermore, the reporting items for certification changes will be clearly defined as 'Critical Control Points' and 'Location' to reduce confusion and administrative burden on business operators.

The MFDS stated, "We will continue to intensively identify regulations unrelated to public safety and improve them continuously so that business operators do not face difficulties in applying HACCP. We will also do our best to ensure the system operates effectively through unannounced evaluations and other measures."

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