Cabbage Is Just a Side, 30% of Imported Substandard Food Products Are Made in China

Among over 360 imported food products deemed non-compliant this year, 110 are Chinese-made

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] This year, 30% of imported food products that were deemed non-compliant were Chinese products, including salted napa cabbage kimchi. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's Food Safety Nara on the 13th, among about 360 food items that were returned to the exporting country or discarded due to non-compliance with standards, 110 were Chinese food products. They were followed by 34 from the United States, 29 from Thailand, and 15 from India. The Ministry's inspection of imported foods is conducted through on-site sensory tests such as checking the product's condition, taste, and smell, as well as precise tests using physical and chemical methods, and random sampling inspections.

Bacteria and Carcinogenic Substances

The non-compliant Chinese products range from recently controversial salted napa cabbage to kimchi, seafood, agricultural products, and spices. Processed foods including kimchi accounted for about 50 items. The violation in Chinese salted napa cabbage was excessive detection of sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide is a food additive used as a bleaching agent, and excessive use can cause pneumonia and asthma.

In Chinese kimchi, Yersinia enterocolitica, a bacterium that causes various diseases such as acute gastroenteritis, terminal ileitis, sepsis, and tuberculous erythema, was detected. Other non-compliant items included red shrimp meat, oolong tea, insect-processed foods, frozen pupae, blanched bracken, beverages, perilla oil, jelly, sauces, and colostrum. Excessive levels of benzo[a]pyrene, a carcinogenic substance, were detected in colostrum and perilla oil, and frozen pupae used inedible silkworm pupae and Chinese oak silkworm pupae as raw materials. Some Chinese beverages sold on Coupang, such as Wahaha soft drinks, were discarded due to sorbic acid (preservative) content exceeding the standard. In seafood, pufferfish toxins exceeded the standard in species such as the blackspotted puffer and tiger puffer. Agricultural products included chili seeds, chili powder, and carrots.

Need to Strengthen Regulations on Chinese Food Products

Safety issues with Chinese food products have been continuously emerging. In 2005, lead was detected in kimchi imported from China, followed by parasite eggs. As this situation repeats every year, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to strengthen safety management from local production in exporting countries to domestic distribution, and will introduce the safety management certification standard ‘HACCP’ for imported foods starting in July.

However, due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, it is reported that discussions with the Chinese government on where and how to conduct inspections have not been possible. An industry official said, "Every year, Chinese food products flood into Korea, but there is no proper safety inspection procedure," emphasizing, "Regulations must be strengthened so that consumers can trust and purchase Chinese products."

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