Special Crackdown on 'False Grain Labeling Distribution' Until Year-End... Criminal Penalties for False Origin Labeling

The National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service is extending the special crackdown period on fraudulent distribution practices related to rice labeling?such as mixing domestic and foreign rice for sale, false labeling of production year, milling date, origin, and mixing of production years?until the end of the year.

This special crackdown began in September in anticipation of an increase in fraudulent distribution activities like falsifying production years and mixing rice as the new harvest season starts. Originally planned to last until the 1st of next month, the crackdown period has been extended due to concerns over foreign rice being passed off as domestic, mixing of domestic and foreign rice, and the sale of mixed lower-quality, low-priced rice.

The targets include rice and brown rice sold below market prices at Rice Processing Complexes (RPCs), semi-milling factories, and grain retailers. The crackdown will focus on verifying the accuracy of grain and origin labeling, as well as checking for mixing with old rice or foreign rice. For rice suspected of violations, distribution stage investigations will be conducted using DNA analysis and other methods.

Companies found violating the Grain Management Act by false labeling face criminal penalties including imprisonment of up to three years or fines up to five times the market value of the misused or disposed grain. For unmarked cases, a fine will be imposed by multiplying the unmarked quantity by the sales price on the day of detection, with a maximum fine of 2 million KRW.

Park Seong-woo, Director of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, stated, "The interest of producers and consumers is crucial to establishing a sound distribution order for grains." He added, "If you suspect any violations regarding mandatory labeling such as rice grades, please report them via the nationwide fraud reporting hotline or the agency’s website."

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