[The Crisis of K-Ramen] No Issues Domestically... Strict EU Standards on 'Harmful Substances'

Strengthened Import Control of Korean Ramen in Europe
Due to Different Criteria for Harmfulness Assessment
2-Chloroethanol Included in EU Standards
MFDS: "Not Harmful to Human Health"
Paldo and Nongshim Detection Controversy Last Year
Government Preventive Measures Criticized as Insufficient

[Asia Economy Reporters Seungyoon Song and Eunmo Koo] The domestic ramen industry is struggling to hide its embarrassment following the European Union (EU)'s strengthened import control measures on Korean ramen. Although the situation arose due to differing standards for detecting harmful substances, some critics argue that the government’s preventive measures were insufficient.

Strict EU Standards... "Regrettable Lack of Proactive Response"

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and industry sources on the 28th, the EU’s detection limits for harmful substances are as follows: for ethylene oxide, 0.02 ppm for cereals, fruits, and vegetables; 0.05 ppm for nuts, herbs, and oilseeds; and 0.01 ppm for tea and spices. For 2-chloroethanol, the detected amount is combined with ethylene oxide levels for application. The EU considers 2-chloroethanol to be related to ethylene oxide, which is classified as a carcinogen. In contrast, South Korea’s standard requires no detection of ethylene oxide, but there is no separate detection standard for 2-chloroethanol. It was only in August last year, when this issue became problematic, that provisional standards were set: 30 ppm or less for concentrated agricultural and fishery products and processed foods, and 10 ppm or less for infant foods and capsules. The industry views this as a problem arising from fundamentally different criteria for assessing harmfulness. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also launched on-site and sample investigations of Paldo and Nongshim ramen products involved in the issue last August but judged that the detected 2-chloroethanol levels were not harmful to human health upon ingestion.

The industry is currently looking solely to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, demanding the establishment of certificate validity periods and negotiations to ease testing standards. Since the substances may be unintentionally generated during manufacturing or naturally present, it is difficult to completely block them during production. Professor Siwol Kim of Konkuk University’s Department of Consumer Studies said, "It is natural that export-import standards differ by country, and aligning with international standards is essential to enter the global market," adding, "Similar incidents have occurred in the past, but these are issues that can be resolved administratively through smooth negotiations."

‘Blue Ocean’ European Market Faces Obstacles

Although Europe was not a major market for the ramen industry, it was considered a ‘blue ocean’ due to efforts to develop sales channels through diverse products and increased sales volume. However, with exports now blocked, these efforts have come to a complete halt. According to the Korea Customs Service, the European country to which domestic ramen companies exported the most last year was the Netherlands, with 4,866 tons exported, amounting to approximately $19.28 million (about 23.2 billion KRW). This was followed by the United Kingdom with 4,390 tons ($19.07 million), Germany with 3,587 tons ($13.22 million), Sweden with 3,018 tons ($6.41 million), and France with 1,089 tons ($4.72 million).

This year, Nongshim, Ottogi, and Samyang Foods?the three major ramen companies?have not shipped even a single container of ramen for export to Europe.

Separate testing fees are required to issue inspection certificates. Previously, testing noodles, soup, and vegetable mix separately for one ramen product cost about 1.2 million KRW per case, but now, after negotiations with the EU, these items are tested together in one batch. This has reduced testing costs to about one-third, but the expense remains significant.

An industry insider said, "This has already happened, and realistically, there is a limit to what we can do," adding, "The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is taking the lead in responding, so for now, we are monitoring the situation and waiting."

On the other hand, there is regret over the failure to anticipate this situation earlier. In September 2020, sesame seeds exported from India to Europe contained harmful substances exceeding permissible limits, leading to recalls of all foods containing sesame seeds. This prompted the EU to strengthen import customs controls on foreign foods. There was ample time to predict and respond to changes in the market landscape in advance.

A Ministry of Food and Drug Safety official explained, "For now, these measures must be maintained for six months at the import customs stage, during which we will review whether there are any deficiencies and decide whether to exclude certain items from enhanced inspections," adding, "We will also check customs inspection results at that time and request easing from the EU side."

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