Sharp Increase in Onion Imports... Special Origin Inspection Conducted

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[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service announced that it will conduct a special crackdown on the origin of onions until early April.

This is because the onion harvest was poor last year, causing prices to rise and increasing imports of foreign onions.

From the beginning of this year until the 17th of last month, 13,715 tons of onions were imported. This is 4.5 times the 3,027 tons imported during the same period last year.

The agency plans to focus inspections on the proper labeling of the origin of onions distributed in the market, targeting import distribution companies, food material marts, and wholesale and retail businesses.

A total of 545 personnel (285 special investigation officers for the special crackdown and 260 honorary monitors) will be deployed for this operation.

If the origin is not properly labeled, offenders will face penalties according to the law: imprisonment for up to 7 years or a fine of up to 100 million won for false labeling, and a fine of up to 10 million won for failure to label.

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