'Rice and Kimchi Origin Falsification Still Ongoing'... Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Caught 50 Places

Cases of Illegal Activities by Imported Grain Handling Companies Graphic by Gyeonggi Provincial Government

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has identified 50 imported grain handling businesses that violated related laws by labeling products as domestic but using U.S.-grown rice or storing products past their expiration date by more than a year.

The Gyeonggi Province Civil Special Judicial Police announced on the 21st that they inspected 353 imported grain handling businesses in the province from the 21st of last month to the 9th of this month and found 50 that violated laws.

Among the major cases, Food Service Establishment A labeled the origin of rice as domestic on the origin display board inside the restaurant, but was found to have falsely labeled the origin by mixing domestic and U.S.-grown rice.

Food Service Establishment B labeled the origin of rice as domestic and U.S.-grown on the origin display board inside the restaurant, but actually used only U.S.-grown rice; it also labeled the cabbage kimchi as domestic and Chinese, but only used Chinese cabbage kimchi.

Food Service Establishment C was caught storing five items, including seasonings, that had expired more than a year ago for cooking and sales purposes without marking them for disposal or educational use.

Food Manufacturing and Processing Company D was caught operating three containers with a total volume of 14.4㎥ installed in December 2021 to store raw materials such as meju soybean paste and mixed seasonings without reporting a change in business area.

Instant Sales Manufacturing and Processing Company E was found to have not conducted self-quality inspections at least once every nine months after starting tofu production and sales following a business registration in 2017.

The current 'Origin Labeling Act' stipulates that falsifying origin labels or making misleading labels is punishable by up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won, and failing to label the origin results in a fine of up to 10 million won.

Additionally, the 'Food Sanitation Act' prescribes penalties of up to five years in prison or fines up to 50 million won for violating food preservation standards or failing to report changes in business area, and up to three years in prison or fines up to 30 million won for storing expired products or failing to prepare business-related documents.

A representative of the Civil Special Judicial Police in the province stated, "This investigation was conducted to secure the right to know and the right to choose for residents through proper origin labeling, prevent illegal activities, and provide a safe food environment." He emphasized, "Illegal acts by some business owners will be strictly punished according to relevant regulations, and we will continue to make every effort to prevent recurrence through ongoing crackdowns."

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