Seoul City Launches First Operation of 'Citizen Safety Meal Guardians'

Safety Management of Ready-to-Eat Meals and Unmanned Store Products

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 10th that it will recruit and operate ‘Citizen Safety Table Guardians’ to actively involve citizens in safety management at each stage from food manufacturing to distribution and consumption, as the use of ready-to-eat meals and unmanned stores has recently surged.

This year, for the first time, Seoul’s ‘Citizen Safety Table Guardians’ program will recruit a total of 40 professionals, including nutritionists and hygienists with food and hygiene-related qualifications, to enhance expertise and capabilities so that citizens can independently monitor and manage food safety.

The first group of Seoul’s ‘Citizen Safety Table Guardians’ will ▲ continuously monitor online distributed foods (such as ready-to-eat meals) for unreported sales and food labeling laws by media (food information, false or exaggerated advertisements, etc.), ▲ conduct a comprehensive survey of unmanned stores (such as unmanned cafes) by district in cooperation with 25 autonomous districts, and provide quarterly on-site guidance visits if any nonconformities are found. They will be active in the food hygiene field both online and offline for the next two years.

Starting with the Citizen Safety Table Guardians, the city will shift from a reactive food accident response system focused on post-management to a proactive and preventive food safety management system, and by discovering sustainable methods and reflecting them in policies, it will expand the foundation for ‘citizens’ safe dining tables.’

As dietary consumption patterns rapidly change, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to strengthen food stage monitoring systems and safety management throughout the entire process from manufacturing to distribution and consumption, and respond proactively to the increasing demands for food safety management from citizens.

Park Yumi, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Citizen Health Bureau, said, “It is very important to develop citizens’ capabilities to protect safe dining tables themselves through activities like the ‘Citizen Safety Table Guardians.’ We ask for your great interest and participation.”

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