Insects and Cigarette Butts Found in Delivery Food... Growing Distrust in 'Food Hygiene'

Reports of Foreign Substances in Delivery Food Reach 4,499 Cases in the First Half of This Year

Concerns about food hygiene are rising among citizens as reports of foreign substances in delivery food continue. The photo is unrelated to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As foreign object reports, such as cigarette butts found in chicken, continue to surface, public distrust in food hygiene is growing.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recently conducted unannounced inspections at certain Korean McDonald's locations following reports of foreign objects. The inspections revealed violations of the Food Sanitation Act, including inadequate cleanliness in some facilities, leading to a request for administrative action to the local government of Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

This inspection was triggered by the recent discovery of insects in McDonald's French fries. According to a news report on the 18th, customer A, who had ordered food from a McDonald's store, found a cockroach in the French fries while eating.

McDonald's issued an apology, stating, "We sincerely apologize to the customer who experienced inconvenience." They also noted, "A professional hygiene inspection company assessed that the insect found at the store was not a cockroach but a type of moth," and added, "Special inspections were conducted at the store, and measures to prevent recurrence have been implemented." However, the investigation could not proceed regarding the presence of insects because the customer did not provide the insect specimen to the investigative agency.

Incidents of foreign objects found in food have occurred in the past as well. On the 9th of last month, a post appeared on an online community reporting cigarette butts found in delivered chicken. As the controversy grew, the franchise owner decided to close the store, and the headquarters issued an apology on their website.

Additionally, on the 20th of last month, a consumer living in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, reported to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety after finding cigarette butts in seasoned perilla leaves purchased from a local side dish store. The perilla leaves were imported from China, and it was revealed that inadequate washing and desalting processes led to the contamination.

In the first half of this year alone, 4,499 reports of foreign substances in delivery food were received. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

Among citizens, distrust in food hygiene is increasing. Baek, a person in their 20s, said, "As a single-person household, I often eat delivery food, but if there are reviews mentioning foreign objects like hair, I tend to avoid those places." He added, "After finding foreign objects in grilled intestines, I developed a trauma and can no longer eat them," and criticized, "It seems many places selling food for people do not pay attention to hygiene." Baek had previously ordered grilled intestines online and received a refund after discovering what appeared to be excrement.

Meanwhile, food hygiene incidents continue to occur steadily. According to data obtained by Kang Ki-yoon, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the People Power Party, from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the number of foreign object reports in delivery food reached 6,866 last year alone. This is about 4.4 times higher than the 1,557 cases reported in 2020. In the first half of this year (January to June), 4,499 reports of foreign objects in delivery food were received.

Among the reported foreign objects last year, hair was the most common with 2,223 cases. This was followed by ▲insects (1,468 cases) ▲metal (578 cases) ▲plastic (329 cases) ▲vinyl (497 cases) ▲mold (97 cases) ▲others (1,674 cases).

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