Strengthened Inspection of Overseas Direct Purchase Foods Such as Jelly and Candy Suspected to Contain Narcotics

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 10th that it will conduct a planned inspection by August on overseas direct purchase foods suspected of containing narcotics, such as jelly and candy, sold on online shopping malls in countries where cannabis use is legalized.

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The inspection targets foods sold on online shopping malls in countries where cannabis use is legal, such as Amazon and eBay, as well as overseas online malls where it is possible to purchase products suspected of containing narcotics like cannabis.

The inspection items include 61 substances such as cannabis components (CBD, THC), narcotics (morphine, cocaine), and psychotropic drugs (amphetamine, psilocybin). It will also check whether the products display ingredients or components that are prohibited from being imported into Korea.

If harmful substances such as narcotics are detected in the inspection results, the Ministry plans to promptly take measures to prevent their import and sale domestically by collaborating with related agencies, such as requesting customs to withhold clearance and asking the Korea Communications Standards Commission to block access to the online sales sites. Additionally, product information including photos will be posted on the Food Safety Korea website's 'Overseas Direct Purchase Foods Olbaro' section so that consumers can directly verify these products.

The Ministry emphasized that consumers need to exercise special caution as importing or consuming overseas direct purchase foods containing cannabis or similar substances may result in punishment under the Narcotics Control Act.

A Ministry official stated, "Overseas direct purchase foods bought by individuals for personal consumption may pose risks due to harmful substances," and urged consumers to make wise overseas direct purchases by always ▲checking on the 'Overseas Direct Purchase Foods Olbaro' website ▲whether the product contains ingredients prohibited from import ▲not purchasing products registered as harmful overseas direct purchase foods ▲and refraining from selling to third parties or using them for business purposes."

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