Gwangju City in Gyeonggi to Fully Implement Hygiene Management Grade Evaluation for Food Manufacturers

On April 8, Gwangju City in Gyeonggi Province announced that it will fully implement the "Hygiene Management Grade Evaluation" for local food (additive) manufacturing companies until November, aiming to raise the hygiene standards of these businesses and create a safer food environment.

Gwangju City Implements Comprehensive Hygiene Management Rating Evaluation for Food Manufacturing Companies. Provided by Gyeonggi Gwangju City

This evaluation targets 150 food (additive) manufacturing and processing companies in the region. It is designed to objectively assess each company’s hygiene and quality management capabilities, and to manage them differentially by grade. The goal is to enhance voluntary hygiene management levels among the companies. However, businesses that have adopted the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system are excluded from this evaluation.

The evaluation focuses on several key areas: whether legal documents are in place, the hygiene management status of manufacturing and storage facilities, and compliance with hygienic handling standards. A total of 120 items are assessed, including 45 items for the basic survey, 47 items for the basic management evaluation, and 28 items for the excellent management evaluation, with a maximum score of 200 points.

Based on the evaluation results, companies are classified into three categories: autonomous management companies, general management companies, and intensive management companies. Autonomous management companies, recognized for their excellent hygiene standards, will be exempt from on-site inspections and access checks for the next two years unless there are special reasons, and will also be given priority when applying for loan programs to improve hygiene management facilities. In contrast, intensive management companies are classified as having insufficient hygiene management and will receive focused guidance and inspections.

In the past two years, the proportion of autonomous management companies increased from 2.7% in 2024 to 9% in 2025, while the proportion of general management companies also rose from 43.6% to 53% during the same period. This indicates an overall improvement in voluntary hygiene management levels among manufacturing companies.

A Gwangju City official stated, "We expect that this hygiene management grade evaluation will strengthen the autonomous hygiene management capabilities of food manufacturing companies," adding, "We will continue to conduct thorough inspections and provide support to create an environment where citizens can safely consume food."

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