MFDS cracks down on 22 Gimbap and Snack Delivery Restaurants Violating Food Sanitation Act

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 2nd that it had inspected over 2,500 delivery food establishments specializing in bunsik such as gimbap and found 22 places violating the Food Sanitation Act.

The Ministry, together with 17 local governments, conducted a focused inspection from the 8th to the 12th of last month on 2,582 bunsik restaurants registered on delivery applications that had no inspection history or had administrative sanctions within the past two years.

As a result of the inspection, 22 establishments, accounting for 0.9%, were found to have violated the Food Sanitation Act. The main violations included failure to conduct health examinations (16 places), unauthorized destruction of business facilities (3 places), storage of expired products (1 place), violation of hygienic handling standards (1 place), and failure to wear hygiene caps (1 place).

The detected businesses will be subject to administrative measures by the relevant authorities, and a re-inspection will be conducted within six months to verify improvements.

Additionally, along with this inspection, 297 gimbap samples prepared and sold at restaurants were collected and tested, resulting in 5 cases being judged non-compliant due to food poisoning bacteria. There were 3 cases violating the Escherichia coli standards and 2 cases violating Bacillus cereus standards. Administrative actions will also be taken against these establishments.

Previously, the Ministry has conducted quarterly focused inspections on delivery food establishments of high-consumption items. Following Chinese cuisine in the first quarter and jokbal (pig’s trotters) and bossam (boiled pork wraps) in the second quarter, this time the inspection targeted bunsik delivery food establishments such as gimbap, which have a high risk of food poisoning during the summer season.

A Ministry official stated, "We will continue to strengthen safety management of highly consumed delivery foods and take strict measures against intentional illegal acts to create a safe food environment for the public."

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