Naju-si to Implement 'Local Food Certification System' Starting Next Month

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do, will fully implement the ‘Local Food Certification System’ starting next month, which certifies the safety of food for local food shipping farms.

According to the city on the 29th, the Naju Local Food Certification System is a system that applies certain safety standards to local agricultural and livestock products, processed foods, etc., and displays a certification mark on the shipped products.

To ensure smooth establishment of the system, a pilot operation was conducted from June to July, and starting from the 1st of next month, it will be first implemented for agricultural products shipped to the Naju Local Food Direct Store Bitgaram Branch and Geumnam Branch, with plans to expand after a two-year grace period.

Through the supply of certified safe local agricultural products, farmers are expected to gain trust and income, and consumers will be able to purchase fresh food with confidence, further strengthening the value of coexistence in Naju Local Food.

To obtain certification, applicants must complete mandatory certification education before applying, and agricultural products must pass pesticide residue tests on 463 items.

For livestock products, antibiotic-free, organic livestock, and HACCP certification are mandatory.

Processed foods must use agricultural products certified by Naju Local Food, and the content ratio of raw and subsidiary materials must be at least 50% to be certified.

The city plans to regularly conduct safety inspections of agricultural products in circulation through the Agricultural Safety Analysis Laboratory operated by the Agricultural Technology Center.

If pesticide residues or other nonconformities are detected in the inspection results, the certification of the farm will be suspended or canceled.

An official from the Naju Agricultural Technology Center said, “Through the full implementation of the Local Food Certification System, we expect to guarantee safe food to citizens and improve farmers’ income through consumer trust. We will promote the activation of participation in the certification system for shipping farms to foster a happy agricultural coexistence development for both producers and consumers.”

Currently, there are 655 local food shipping farms in Naju, and the number of consumer members at local food direct stores is 12,743 (as of July 25, 2022).

Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong baekok@asiae.co.kr

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