Brazilian Chicken Passed Off as Domestic... Chicken Shop Owner Fined 7 Million Won

2168kg of Brazilian Chicken Labeled as Domestic on Delivery App
Frequent Violations of Origin Labeling Law by Delivery App Vendors

A chicken restaurant owner was fined after chicken labeled as domestically produced was revealed to be from Brazil.

On the 20th, the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Kim Pyeong-ho) dismissed the appeal of self-employed person A (32), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Labeling of Origin of Agricultural and Fishery Products (Origin Labeling Act), and upheld the original sentence of a 7 million won fine.

Brazilian Chicken Labeled as 'Domestic'... Even Complained to the Informant

A, who runs a chicken restaurant, was indicted for selling food by falsifying the origin of chicken and cheese through a delivery app for seven months from March to the end of October 2021.

A labeled the chicken and cheese as 'domestic' and sold them for about 39 million won, but in reality, purchased about 2,168 kg of Brazilian chicken meat and about 14 kg of cheese balls made from imported cheese and used them in the food. A even called the person who reported this to complain.

The court pointed out, "The defendant falsely labeled the origin while cooking and selling agricultural and fishery products or processed products, which is a serious offense," and added, "The period of false origin labeling was not short, and the quantity was not small."

It further stated, "Considering the defendant's age, motive, circumstances, and post-crime situation comprehensively, the original sentence is appropriate, and the defendant's claim of unfair sentencing is without merit."

Brazilian chicken is widely distributed in the domestic chicken industry. According to last year's chicken import status, Brazilian chicken accounted for more than 90%. In particular, boneless chicken, which uses chicken leg meat, often utilizes Brazilian chicken.

2,403 Cases of Origin Labeling Violations by Delivery App Vendors in 5 Years

According to the Origin Labeling Act, all restaurants, including those offering delivery food, must label the origin. False labeling of origin can result in imprisonment for up to seven years or a fine of up to 100 million won. Failure to label the origin results in fines of 300,000 won for the first offense, 600,000 won for the second, and 1 million won for the third offense per item.

However, cases of origin labeling violations by vendors through delivery apps have been frequently detected. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, from 2018 to June this year, there were 2,403 cases of origin labeling violations detected on three delivery apps: Baedal Minjok, Yogiyo, and Coupang Eats.

The total fines imposed for failure to label origin on these three delivery apps during the same period amounted to 469.45 million won. In particular, fines increased significantly from 2.14 million won in 2018 to 185.79 million won in 2022, raising calls for measures to manage and inspect vendors on delivery apps.

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