Gyeonggi Health and Environment Research Institute Disposed of 17 Non-compliant Food Items Last Year

Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment is analyzing the collected food samples. Photo by Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment Research reported that it disposed of a total of 17 non-compliant food items last year through the 'Food Safety Keeper Project.'

The Food Safety Keeper Project is an inspection program conducted by the Institute of Health and Environment Research since 2007 to eradicate substandard food, handling everything from direct collection and inspection to recall, disposal, and requests for administrative action.

Last year, the Institute collected and inspected 1,024 items, including those frequently judged as non-compliant due to changes in food consumption environments, such as ▲seasonal peak products ▲foods with safety concerns ▲private brand (PB) products from distribution companies ▲local food products ▲foods negatively reported in the media.

By category, there were 594 food items, 181 food utensils and containers/packaging, 70 hygiene products, 179 genetically modified organisms (GMO) food items, and 32 radiation tests.

Inspection results showed a total of 17 non-compliant cases, including ▲4 powdered products exceeding metal foreign substance standards ▲4 Korean soy sauces below total nitrogen standards ▲3 honeys below quality standards ▲2 snacks exceeding acid value ▲1 beverage base exceeding preservatives ▲1 diluted vinegar exceeding total acid ▲1 perilla oil exceeding linolenic acid standards ▲1 detergent with non-compliant pH.

The Institute immediately notified the relevant administrative agencies through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's 'Emergency Notification System for Non-compliant Food' to recall and dispose of these products so they would not circulate in the market, and posted the food information on the Institute’s website for residents to view.

Park Yong-bae, director of the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment Research, emphasized, "We plan to continuously expand planned inspections related to online and local food direct stores, which have many concerns about non-compliance. We will do our best to fulfill our role as a food safety keeper that residents can trust, adapting to lifestyle changes caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic."

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