Gyeonggi-do Conducts Origin Labeling Inspection and Safety Investigation of Agricultural and Marine Products for Seollal Holiday

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi-do is conducting origin labeling inspections and safety sampling tests ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

The province will first carry out focused sampling inspections for origin labeling guidance and safety investigations of agricultural and marine products for ancestral rites and gifts from the 17th to the 30th of this month in 31 cities and counties.

Additionally, from the 18th to the 27th of this month, joint origin labeling inspections will be conducted in five cities and counties including Bucheon, Pyeongtaek, Yangpyeong, Yeoju, and Dongducheon.

The main items to be inspected and sampled are ▲ beef, pork, doraji (balloon flower root), gosari (bracken), dried persimmons, tilefish and other tilefish species ▲ rib sets, fruits, Korean traditional sweets (hangwa), ginseng, dried yellow corvina (jogi), health foods (red ginseng, herbal medicines, etc.) ▲ jeon (Korean pancakes), namul (seasoned vegetables), and other table dishes.

The province will deploy about 140 agricultural and marine product origin labeling inspectors for this inspection.

In cases of origin labeling violations, false labeling is punishable by imprisonment of up to 7 years or a fine of up to 100 million KRW, and failure to label origin or violation of labeling methods results in a fine of up to 10 million KRW.

Violating companies, violation types, and methods to distinguish product origins detected during the origin labeling inspections can be found on the websites of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service or the National Fishery Products Quality Management Service.

The province will also conduct focused sampling of highly consumed agricultural and marine products for the Lunar New Year at large retail stores and department stores within the province to test for residual pesticides (340 types), heavy metals (3 types), veterinary drugs (105 types), and radiation (2 types).

For items found to be non-compliant in the safety investigation, sales will be suspended, and products will be recalled and disposed of to block distribution.

Jin Hak-hoon, Director of the Agricultural Food Distribution Division of the province, stated, "We will do our best to ensure that safe ingredients reach the table through proper implementation and establishment of the origin labeling system and continuous safety investigations."

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