[2020 National Audit] "2,388 Food Sanitation Act Violations in Delivery Restaurants... 7 Times More Than Previous Year"

Nam In-soon "Delivery Food Restaurants Have Weak Hygiene Management... Regular Inspections Needed"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] Amid the increase in delivery food establishments due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), there has been a sharp rise in the number of violations of the Food Sanitation Act, raising concerns about the need for thorough hygiene management.

According to data titled 'Status of Violations of the Food Sanitation Act by Delivery Food Establishments Nationwide (2017~September 2020)' submitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) to Nam In-soon, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, the number of Food Sanitation Act violations by delivery food establishments from January to September this year totaled 2,388 cases, a sevenfold increase compared to 328 cases last year.

This figure represents the number of Food Sanitation Act violations detected by the MFDS after receiving lists of delivery companies from delivery platforms and conducting on-site inspections. The data were compiled through inquiries in the Food Administration Integrated System and verification by local governments.

This year, out of a total of 149,080 delivery companies subject to inspection, 84,596 were inspected, resulting in 2,388 violations of the Food Sanitation Act. The reasons for violations were led by ▲failure to complete hygiene education (24%), followed by ▲violation of standards and specifications (17%), ▲violation of business operator compliance requirements (12%), ▲failure to conduct health examinations (11%), ▲violation of hygienic handling standards (11%), and ▲violation of facility standards (2%).

According to the 'Number of Delivery Platform Registered Companies by Year' submitted by the MFDS, the number of delivery companies collected through delivery platforms such as Baedal Minjok, Yogiyo, and Baedaltong, excluding duplicates, showed a clear increasing trend: 4,264 in 2017, 27,570 in 2018, and 48,050 in 2019. Notably, this year, 149,080 companies were registered, more than tripling compared to the previous year.

Assembly member Nam stated, “With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for delivery food has increased, and companies specializing only in delivery without physical stores, such as semi-basement locations, are also increasing, which may be vulnerable to food hygiene management.” He added, “While striving to create a hygienic environment for delivery food establishments, support policies such as providing incentives only to delivery food establishments that disclose kitchen hygiene status are necessary.”

He continued, “So far, only temporary inspections of delivery food establishments have been conducted, which is believed to cause the number of Food Sanitation Act violations to vary by year.” He emphasized, “Going forward, regular inspections of delivery food establishments should be conducted so that the public can consume food with peace of mind.”

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