[2021 National Audit] Rep. Kim Won-i, 2,874 Foreign Object Reports on Delivery Apps Highlight Urgent Need for Hygiene Management

"Efforts Needed to Establish Non-Face-to-Face Food Hygiene Safety Management System in the COVID-19 Era"

[Mokpo=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Seunghyun] As social distancing measures due to COVID-19 have prolonged, the demand for food through delivery apps has increased, but countermeasures regarding hygiene and management have been relatively weak.

According to data on 'Registered Food Businesses of the Top 3 Delivery Apps' submitted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to Kim Won-i, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee (Democratic Party, Mokpo City), as of June 2021, there were a total of 610,000 registered businesses, with Baedal Minjok having 250,000, Yogiyo 220,000, and Coupang Eats 130,000 registered businesses.

According to the 'Delivery App Foreign Object Notification Status' data from the implementation of the foreign object notification system on July 16, 2019, until June 30 of this year, a total of 5,241 cases of foreign objects detected in delivery food were reported.

By year, there were 810 cases in 2019 and 1,557 cases in 2020. As of the end of June this year, there were 2,874 cases, a 255% increase compared to 2019 when the notification system was implemented. If this trend continues, the number of foreign object reports is expected to exceed 5,000 by the end of the year.

The most frequently found foreign object in delivery food was hair (1,648 cases), followed by insects (1,147 cases), metal (515 cases), vinyl (335 cases), plastic (258 cases), and mold (94 cases). Other foreign objects such as glass, thread, fur, string, paper, tissue, and wood chips accounted for 1,244 cases.

In particular, by delivery app, Baedal Minjok, which has the largest number of businesses, had the highest number of foreign object reports with 3,791 cases, followed by Coupang Eats with 1,213 cases, Yogiyo with 178 cases, and Kakao with 34 cases. Even Baedaltong, which ceased operations in June, was confirmed to have 18 cases of foreign objects.

From the implementation date of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's foreign object notification system until the end of June this year, a total of 920 businesses received administrative sanctions due to foreign object notifications from delivery apps. There were 185 cases in 2019, 299 cases in 2020, and 436 cases as of June 2021, most of which were corrective orders.

Although the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety inspects food businesses registered on delivery apps annually, violations directly related to hygienic handling standards concerning food hygiene amounted to only 729 cases over three years: 84 cases in 2019, 334 cases in 2020, and 311 cases as of July 2021. This accounts for about 14% of the 5,241 cases reported through the delivery app foreign object notification system during the same period.

Assemblyman Kim stated, "With the increase in single-person households and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the consumption of delivery food by the public is skyrocketing, and hygiene issues related to foreign objects such as hair in delivery food are also increasing." He added, "Since consumers cannot directly check the hygiene status or cooking process of food businesses due to the nature of delivery food, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety should strive to establish a non-face-to-face food hygiene safety management system in line with the post-COVID-19 era."

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