Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police to Intensively Crack Down on Illegal Activities at Coffee Manufacturing, Processing, and Sales Businesses

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government will launch an investigation into illegal activities related to the import, manufacture, and sale of coffee beans.

The Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police announced on April 14 that it will conduct a concentrated crackdown from May 11 to May 22 to eradicate illegal acts occurring during the import, manufacturing, and sales processes of coffee beans.

This crackdown will target 150 coffee manufacturing, processing, and sales businesses in the province. The main inspection items are: ▲illegal distribution of imported food products, ▲unreported business operations, ▲violations of the obligation to conduct self-quality inspections, ▲storage of products past their expiration date, and ▲failure to indicate or partially indicate required information on finished product labels.

If coffee beans are imported under the pretext of manufacturing the company’s own products but are used or sold for other purposes, violators may face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won under the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Control.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Operating a business such as a cafe without registering as a food service business, failing to conduct self-quality inspections or exceeding the designated inspection intervals, and storing products past their expiration date may result in imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won. In cases of failure to indicate or partially indicate required labeling information, violators may face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won under the Food Labeling and Advertising Act.

Kwon Moonju, head of the Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police, stated, "With the growth of the coffee market driven by increased consumption, there are concerns about a corresponding rise in illegal activities. Through this intensive crackdown, we aim to enhance food safety standards and establish a sound distribution order in the coffee market, thereby preventing harm to our residents."

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