Gyeongnam Province Launches Safety Inspections of Manufacturers for Consumer Safe Purchases via Home Shopping and More

Recent Reports of Rodent Carcasses Found in Snack Products Increase

Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Government Building Exterior View

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] Gyeongnam Province announced that it will conduct a preliminary safety inspection from June 22 to July 3 on 55 food companies manufacturing home shopping products, PB products, franchise raw material products, and other foods that are heavily consumed in summer, such as edible ice.

This safety inspection, conducted jointly with 18 cities and counties in the province, was prompted by recent consumer reports of contamination by sanitary animals such as rats in snacks. The main inspection items include compliance with raw material procurement requirements, use and storage of expired raw materials, hygienic handling of food, and adherence to preservation and distribution standards, all of which are illegal acts that undermine food safety.

Additionally, this inspection will also cover foods with increased consumption during the summer, as was done last year.

Samples of edible ice used in coffee shops, beverages, and ready-to-eat foods such as home meal replacements will be collected and tested for food poisoning bacteria to confirm safety.

In June last year, the province tested 233 samples of ice made by ice makers in coffee shops nationwide, and 41 stores exceeded the standards for bacterial count and potassium permanganate consumption, resulting in suspension of ice maker use.

Choi Yong-nam, Director of the Food and Drug Division of Gyeongnam Province, said, “If you witness or suspect illegal acts related to food, please report them by calling the defective food report hotline 1399.”

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