Yangcheon-gu Conducts Summer Hygiene Inspections at 117 Delivery Food Specialty Stores

Consumer Food Hygiene Inspectors Lead On-Site Inspection Team to Check 117 Delivery-Only Restaurants in the Area by June 28
Inspection by Categories Including Hygiene and Cleanliness to Enhance Restaurants' Voluntary Hygiene Management Skills
If Scores Fall Below Standards, Confirmation Is Obtained On-Site Followed by Hygiene Education, Corrective Actions, and Administrative Measures Planned

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced that it will conduct hygiene management inspections on 117 delivery-only restaurants, which are vulnerable to food hygiene management during the summer, until the 28th of this month.

According to Statistics Korea, last year’s online food service transaction amount reached 26.4326 trillion won, showing explosive growth compared to 2.7 trillion won in 2017. Following this trend, the number of non-face-to-face delivery-only restaurants is also increasing, but unlike general restaurants, most do not have open cooking spaces and are often operated on a small scale, raising ongoing concerns about hygiene issues and inadequate response to complaints, highlighting the need for hygiene inspections to alleviate consumer anxiety.

Accordingly, the district will conduct on-site inspections of delivery-only restaurants, led by a field inspection team composed of Consumer Food Hygiene Monitors to ease consumer concerns. Through this, the hygiene level of the kitchens will be evaluated and documented. Consumer Food Hygiene Monitors are selected from residents who have graduated from food-related departments or hold relevant certifications and have worked in food hygiene administration for more than one year, and are granted qualifications after completing designated job training.

The key evaluation items include ▲ hygiene management of delivery food packaging spaces ▲ floor management regarding water accumulation, food residues, and debris ▲ ceiling, lighting, and wall damage and cleanliness ▲ management status of food storage spaces and refrigerators/freezers ▲ compliance with personal hygiene such as wearing hygiene caps and masks by workers.

The evaluation score is out of 100 points, and if the score falls short in any category, a confirmation will be immediately obtained on-site, followed by hygiene education, corrective actions, and administrative measures.

Especially, establishments rated as ‘inadequate’ with less than 60 points will be strictly managed through re-evaluation by officials after an improvement period. Additionally, based on the data collected this time, a database by inspection item will be established to conduct systematic management such as selective guidance and inspections of inadequate establishments.

Lee Gi-jae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “The hygiene evaluation of delivery restaurants, conducted for the first time this year, is meaningful not only in assessing the hygiene level of restaurant kitchens but also in suggesting improvements for inadequate areas, ultimately helping business operators improve their hygiene management capabilities on their own. We will strive to make Yangcheon-gu a safe place where delivery food can be consumed with confidence.”

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