Manufacturer and Seller Arrested for Selling Fake Red Pepper Powder Worth 8 Billion Won

MFDS cracks down on 11 companies and 17 individuals selling 841 tons of Chinese-made Dadaegi mixed with chili seeds

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 25th that it has sent 17 individuals, including representatives of 11 companies, to the prosecution on charges of violating the 'Food Sanitation Act' and the 'Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods' for selling spice mixtures made by mixing red pepper powder with Chinese-made dadegi and chili seed powder, falsely claiming them to be 100% dried red pepper powder.

Fake red pepper powder made by mixing dadegi and chili seed powder.
[Photo by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety]

According to the current Ministry of Food and Drug Safety notification, no substances other than chili seeds contained in the chili pepper can be added during the production of red pepper powder. Dadegi is also a spice mixture made by mixing red pepper powder with onion, radish, garlic, refined salt, and other ingredients.

After detecting Company A in November last year for selling spice mixtures disguised as red pepper powder, the Ministry judged that similar illegal activities might exist and launched an investigation targeting low-priced red pepper powder sold on online shopping malls, uncovering a total of 45 cases (40 companies) and additionally identifying 10 companies (12 cases).

As a result, it was confirmed that Company A, from June 2021 to December 2023, for about two and a half years, mixed low-priced Chinese dadegi and chili seed powder instead of expensive chili peppers to produce fake red pepper powder, falsely labeling the products as 'red pepper powder' and '100% dried red pepper,' selling approximately 557 tons worth about 8 billion KRW. The other 10 companies also sold about 284 tons worth approximately 2.3 billion KRW of fake red pepper powder manufactured in the same way as Company A, following the sharp rise in domestic and international dried red pepper prices last year.

In particular, Company A collected unreported imported compressed dried Chinese red peppers through so-called peddlers and used them. Inspection results showed that chloromequat, a plant growth regulator pesticide not allowed for use on chili peppers in Korea, was detected at about twice the standard limit. Furthermore, the Ministry tracked that Company A, even while under investigation, falsely reported to the competent authorities that 1.4 tons of Chinese compressed dried red peppers, which had been ordered to be discarded, were disposed of, but instead bribed the disposal contractor with 3.5 million KRW to divert the products, which were later fully destroyed.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated, "We will continue to actively respond to intentional and malicious illegal activities to fundamentally block acts that deceive consumers and do our best to ensure that safe food is provided to the public."

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