Gosam, Baekji, Taeksa, Chajeonja... Companies Making and Selling Liquid Tea Using Ingredients Not Allowed in Food Products

Grade 12. Provided by MFDS

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 13th that it has caught a company manufacturing and selling liquid tea using ingredients such as Gosan, Baekji, Taeksa, and Chajeonja, which are raw materials not allowed for use in food. These ingredients are listed as herbal medicines and are mainly used in traditional Korean medicine, but cannot be used in food.

The Ministry received information that 'Mujugun Yakcho Agricultural Cooperative Corporation' in Muju-gun, Jeonbuk, was illegally manufacturing and selling food products using Gosan and other ingredients, and conducted an unannounced inspection on the 8th and 9th of this month. The inspection revealed that since December 2019, the corporation had been manufacturing 15 items including Cheonma Jeongpungcho (liquid tea), hiding Gosan, Baekji, Taeksa, and Chajeonja in concealed spaces. Furthermore, to conceal this, they falsified documents to make it appear as if these ingredients were not used and did not indicate them on the Korean labeling.

These products were packaged in gift boxes and about 240,000 boxes (approximately 400 tons, worth 5.8 billion KRW) were sold to distributors. The distributors were found to be engaging in unfair advertising on online sales sites, promoting the products as having efficacy and effects in preventing diseases such as dementia, hypertension, and diabetes, and selling them at a high price (about 300,000 KRW). The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety notified the relevant authorities for administrative actions against the manufacturer and distributors on charges of violating the Food Sanitation Act and the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods.

Additionally, the Ministry seized 1,938 boxes (about 3 tons, worth 570 million KRW) of 12 products stored by the company for sales purposes and 450 kg of four types of raw materials. The 15 items of liquid tea and others manufactured with raw materials not allowed for use in food will be suspended from sale and recalled. The Ministry requested consumers who purchased these products to stop consumption and return them to the place of purchase. Specific product names and expiration dates for the recall can be checked on the Food Safety Korea website.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated that it will continue to strengthen crackdowns on illegal activities such as manufacturing and selling food using raw materials not allowed for food use, and will do its best to ensure that the public can consume safe food.

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