Gyeonggi-do Conducts Special Inspection on Livestock Product Hygiene Vulnerabilities in Summer... "Strict Measures for Violations"

Focused Inspection of Residues and Pathogenic Microorganisms in 'Meat, Dairy Products, and Eggs' at Over 500 Locations

Reference photo [Ministry of Food and Drug Safety]

[Asia Economy Reporter La Youngcheol] Gyeonggi Province is conducting a 'Special Inspection of Vulnerable Areas in Summer Livestock Hygiene' for meat, dairy products, eggs, and other food items to prevent food poisoning and ensure food safety during the summer season.

According to the province on the 26th, inspection teams will directly visit about 500 locations including layer farms, edible egg sorting and packaging facilities, dairy processing plants, and meat processing plants within the province to conduct hygiene inspections and collect production samples for safety testing.

First, by July 30, the province will inspect the hygiene conditions and quarantine status, such as egg washing and defective egg sorting, as well as the installation of disinfecting equipment at 'edible egg sorting and packaging facilities' across the province.

In particular, following last year's group food poisoning incident at a gimbap restaurant that raised awareness about egg safety management, related regulations have been changed so that from this year, sorting and packaging agents are applied to all eggs except those for processing purposes. Therefore, thorough inspections are planned.

From June to August, a two-month 'Edible Egg Safety Intensive Inspection' will be conducted at all 260 layer farms in the province to check for residues (such as pesticides and antibiotics) and the presence of food poisoning bacteria.

If non-compliance is confirmed, fines will be imposed and the farms will be designated as regulated farms for six months, with strict measures enforced. In the future, inspections at new stocking and distribution stages will be promoted so that each farm undergoes inspections at least twice a year.

Next, hygiene inspections for ground processed meat products such as pork cutlets and hamburger patties, which are widely used in school meals, will be conducted until June 30 to carefully check hygienic handling and compliance with storage temperature requirements.

Additionally, from July 7 to 17, a 'Summer Vulnerable Livestock Product Inspection' will be conducted targeting dairy products (milk, cheese, ice cream, etc.) that are vulnerable to refrigerated and frozen storage, as well as meat and egg processed products.

The inspections will verify the appropriateness of food additives and the safety of pathogenic microorganisms such as Salmonella and E. coli, and will also simultaneously check the storage temperature status of livestock product storage and distribution companies.

The province plans to investigate the causes and recall and dispose of any non-compliant products found during this special inspection, and will file complaints and take administrative actions against companies violating the Livestock Products Hygiene Control Act and related laws.

A provincial official urged, "We ask farms and companies to create management lists for checks and cooperate in improving livestock environments and eradicating illegal use of drugs."

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