"Grown Healthily Domestically"... The Betrayal of Sesame Oil That Achieved No.1 Sales on Online Shopping Malls

Distributor Booked Without Detention

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] A distributor was caught misleading consumers by advertising seasonings made from cheaper Chinese ingredients as '100% domestic' products.

On the 4th, the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (NAQS) booked distributor A without detention on charges of falsely labeling the origin of seasoning agricultural products such as red pepper powder and sesame seeds (violation of the Act on the Labeling of Origin of Agricultural and Fishery Products).

A, who operates a mill in Daejeon, is suspected of selling about 8 tons of seasonings including Chinese sesame seeds, sesame oil, and red pepper powder through an online shopping mall for over a year since June last year by falsifying their origin.

Photo by Yonhap News TV capture

A earned unfair profits of about 440 million won by using phrases such as "Grown healthily in Chungbuk" and "Sesame produced in a clean domestic area."

He also sold Chinese sesame oil bottles labeled as "100% domestic."

A's company saw a rapid increase in sales mainly through online sales last year and even ranked first nationwide in sesame oil sales on a famous online shopping mall. The NAQS believes A exploited the loophole of online distribution, which relies solely on seller advertisements.

Meanwhile, a NAQS Chungnam branch official stated, "We will intensively inspect napa cabbage and seasonings ahead of the peak kimchi-making season."

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