Gyeonggi Province Special Investigation Unit Uncovers 23 Tons of Defective Foods During Chuseok Season

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hoon] The Gyeonggi Province Special Investigation Unit has uncovered numerous food manufacturers, processors, and sellers engaged in illegal activities, such as storing products with expiration dates past by up to 15 months or keeping frozen raw materials under refrigeration instead of freezing.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Investigation Unit announced on the 14th that it conducted investigations from September 14 to 25 targeting 360 businesses including school meal suppliers and manufacturers and processors of Chuseok holiday foods, identifying 44 businesses with 48 violations. The total quantity amounted to approximately 23 tons.

This investigation focused primarily on major manufacturers and processors of popular holiday foods and school meal suppliers in preparation for the Chuseok holiday break, while traditional markets and small businesses facing difficulties due to COVID-19 were excluded from the target list.

The violations included ▲storage of expired products 11 cases (approximately 3 tons) ▲storage standard violations (storing frozen products under refrigeration, etc.) 5 cases (approximately 19.5 tons) ▲failure to conduct self-quality inspections 11 cases ▲violation of business compliance requirements 11 cases ▲other violations 10 cases.

In specific cases, a rice cake manufacturer 'ㄱ' was caught storing approximately 945kg of five types of songpyeon (Korean rice cakes) with expiration dates up to 15 months past—produced last year and the year before—in a freezer without proper disposal marking.

A pork cutlet manufacturer 'ㄴ' was caught storing approximately 1.8 tons of expired products and raw meat in a freezer mixed with normal products without proper separation.

A beverage manufacturer 'ㄷ' was caught storing approximately 5.3 tons of 12 types of frozen concentrates, including lemon concentrate used in beverage production, in a refrigerator instead of a freezer.

The province ordered immediate disposal of all defective and substandard foods discovered due to improper storage temperatures and expired dates through seizure and administrative guidance.

Those who store or keep expired products or raw materials for sale purposes or store them without 'for disposal' marking can face imprisonment of up to three years or fines up to 30 million won under the Food Sanitation Law, or imprisonment of up to three years or fines up to 50 million won under the Livestock Products Sanitation Management Law. Those who violate storage standards by keeping frozen products at refrigeration temperatures face imprisonment of up to five years or fines up to 50 million won under the Food Sanitation Law.

Particularly, if expired products or raw materials are stored together with normal products without 'for disposal' marking, there is a risk they could be used as raw materials or sold at any time due to employee mistakes, and such cases result in punishment regardless of sales intent.

Additionally, when frozen products are stored under refrigeration, harmful microorganisms to human health can proliferate during the process, and the safety of products cannot be guaranteed, so relevant regulations strictly prohibit storing frozen products under refrigeration.

In Chikwon, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Investigation Unit, said, "The businesses targeted in this investigation manage and supply food ingredients in large quantities, making hygiene management for safe food production and distribution particularly important at these establishments. We plan to strictly punish the violating businesses in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, and will further strengthen investigations into defective and substandard foods in the future."