Imported seafood with falsified origin increased by 21.8% last year... No.1 from China산

Top 1-2 Cases of Origin Fraud: Live Nakji and Live Ureongsaeng
Need for Thorough Tracking and Crackdown on Distribution Channels

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] The number of imported seafood products with falsified origins is rapidly increasing, making urgent countermeasures necessary.

On the 4th, Jeong Jeomsik, a member of the People Power Party and the National Assembly's Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee, analyzed data submitted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries for the 2020 national audit and found that imported seafood with falsified origins increased by 21.8% last year alone.

The number of origin labeling violations, which was 430 cases in 2017, rose to 472 cases in 2018 and 575 cases in 2019, marking a 21.8% increase last year. This represents a 33.7% increase over three years.

By country, China ranked first in detected cases, followed by Japan in second place. Notably, Japanese seafood cases increased significantly to 47 last year, accounting for 25% of the total.

Seafood products with either missing origin labels or violations in labeling methods were also found to be highest for Chinese products, followed by Japanese products.

As of the end of July 2020, the regions with the highest number of detected cases of origin falsification were Gyeonggi with 42 cases, Seoul with 22 cases, and Gyeongnam with 18 cases.

Last year, the ranking of regions with detected origin falsification cases was Gyeonggi first with 119 cases, Seoul second with 71 cases, and Daegu third.

The most frequently detected items last year for origin falsification were live octopus and live apple snails with 57 cases, followed by octopus with 33 cases and live scallops with 26 cases.

Assemblyman Jeong stated, "Special management is needed for Chinese and Japanese seafood, which are the most imported and most frequently disguised as domestic products." He urged, "Please identify the distribution channels of imported seafood that deceive consumers by being disguised as domestic products, and make efforts to prevent false labeling from taking root through thorough tracking and crackdowns."

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