Gwangju City Conducted 6,833 Food Distribution Inspections Last Year... 13 Cases Detected

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] The Gwangju Metropolitan City Health and Environment Research Institute announced on the 12th that out of 6,833 food items distributed last year in large local marts and traditional markets, all products except for 13 cases (0.2%) met the food standards for each category.

The inspection targets included distributed and manufactured foods within the jurisdiction: ▲ 4,015 cases of distribution food standard inspections, 386 cases for radioactivity, 50 cases for genetically modified foods ▲ 158 cases of health functional foods ▲ 560 cases for mold toxins and food microbial contamination ▲ 1,467 cases for hygiene microbes in school meal cooking utensils, etc. ▲ 197 cases for utensils, containers, and hygiene products.

The non-compliant foods and items found in the inspection were ▲ acidity in snacks ▲ metallic foreign substances in sprout barley powder and red pepper powder ▲ bacterial counts and E. coli in tea, tofu, sauces, and processed seafood products exceeding the standard limits.

Regarding the detailed radioactivity inspection, which is of great public interest, tests were conducted on ▲ 288 cases of distributed foods ▲ 48 cases of agricultural products around Samgeo-dong, Gwangsan-gu, near Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant in the region ▲ 50 cases of school meal ingredients for iodine-131, cesium-134, and cesium-137, all of which were found to be ‘not detected’ and thus safe. The results are immediately posted on the city’s website.

This year, the Health and Environment Research Institute plans to conduct safety inspections on about 5,000 cases of foods including holiday ritual items, children’s favorite foods, foods of concern during summer, and socially controversial foods.

Jo Bae-sik, head of the Food and Drug Research Department at the Health and Environment Research Institute, said, “We will continue to strengthen inspection management on widely consumed foods and seasonal popular foods distributed in the region to ensure that safe food is supplied to citizens.”

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