Government to Penalize Companies Selling 'Bigae Samgyeopsal'

The government has decided to crack down on so-called "excessively fatty Samgyeopsal," known as over-fat Samgyeopsal, ahead of next month's "Samgyeopsal Day" (March 3rd every year).

On the 28th, Kim Jeong-wook, Director of Livestock Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, held a press briefing at the Porkville Livestock Market of the Daejeon Chungnam Pig Farmers' Cooperative and stated, "We are working on various initiatives in collaboration with related industries to thoroughly manage the quality of Samgyeopsal."

The issue of over-fat Samgyeopsal came to light last year when a citizen who donated to Incheon through the Hometown Love Donation Program received Samgyeopsal with an excessively high fat content as a return gift, sparking public debate.

In response, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs distributed a manual recommending that the fat thickness of Samgyeopsal be no more than 1 cm and that of Ogyeopsal be no more than 1.5 cm. However, this was insufficient to fundamentally resolve the problem of over-fat Samgyeopsal. It was also pointed out as a limitation that consumer preferences for the fat content of Samgyeopsal vary, yet the fat thickness was uniformly restricted to 1 cm or less.

The government plans to strengthen inspections of pork companies to address the issue. Pork moves from farms to slaughterhouses, where it is divided into large cuts, then further subdivided at processing plants, and finally portioned at retail stores. In particular, Samgyeopsal undergoes a trimming process during the large and small subdivision stages to remove fatty parts. The government views inadequate trimming at processing plants and retail stores as the cause of over-fat Samgyeopsal.

Going forward, the government will cooperate with related ministries and organizations to enhance regular and ad hoc inspections and guidance, focusing on ▲ trimming of excess fat ▲ prohibition of deceptive sales ▲ thorough management of online sales. Companies found lacking in inspections will face penalties, including exclusion from support projects such as operational and facility funding.

Information provision will also be strengthened so consumers can directly check the fat content before purchasing. Previously, Samgyeopsal was folded and layered in packaging, making the fat less visible. In the future, in cooperation with the Nonghyup and large supermarkets, all pieces will be spread out and packaged in transparent containers to make the fat clearly visible. Additionally, pilot projects providing detailed information by cut, such as ▲ Gaseum Samgyeopsal (similar muscle and fat ratio) ▲ Bae Samgyeopsal (rich in fat) ▲ Heori Samgyeopsal (low fat content), are being continuously expanded at places like the Nonsan Gyeryong Livestock Cooperative.

The manual that uniformly set the 1 cm fat standard will be revised after gathering opinions from experts and the field. The revision will include provisions discouraging deceptive sales of over-fat parts, also known as "mitjang kkalki" (concealing inferior parts). A Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs official pointed out, "There was a side effect where usable parts were perceived as waste, and fat thicker than 1 cm was regarded as defective Samgyeopsal."

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