Every year, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of the Republic of Korea develops and operates an inspection plan for imported food clearance by analysing information such as import trends of various products, results of tests and inspections, information on risks in and out of Korea, and categories of concern to Korean citizens, and selecting inspection targets and items that require safety management.

On 11 January, the MFDS established the "2024 imported Food Inspection Plan" in order to strengthen food safety and quality management at the import clearance stage, and to rationalise and improve the imported food clearance inspection system by operating an effective inspection system and facilitating rapid clearance while strengthening safety management.

The main contents of the "2024 imported Food Inspection Plan" are as follows:

I  Expansion of inspection targets

Expansion of import inspection targets: ingredients with high consumption in all seasons (real seabream, freshwater fish, etc.), confectionery items containing toys that induce curiosity in children, coffee items and tea sets, etc.

Main inspection periods: Chinese New Year, Family Month (May), Mid-Autumn Festival, and Pickle Period.

Classification of products with higher consumption in each season: ingredients for three-volt weather, real snapper, freshwater fish, tilapia, etc.

Products with high consumer concern: tea set category, coffee supplies.

Products with potential risks: processed agricultural products, processed aquatic products, agricultural products with multiple import failures, meat, farmed fish.

Products related to vulnerable groups: snacks containing toys that induce curiosity in children, food utensils used by infants and young children.

II  Expansion of veterinary drug inspection items for livestock and aquatic products

Since Korea started to implement the Positive List System (PLS) for veterinary drugs in livestock and aquatic products this year, the number of veterinary drugs that can be tested simultaneously in cattle, pigs, chickens, eggs, and fish has been expanded from more than 70 to more than 150, to strengthen the safety management of livestock and aquatic products.

At the same time, veterinary drugs with a high risk of failure in aquatic products are listed as "key inspection items", which are mandatory inspection items stipulated by the Ministry of Food and Drug Administration of Korea.

Ⅲ  Strengthening on-site inspections

Expanded on-site inspections of agricultural and forestry products that may have been falsely declared due to the possibility of penalties for spoilage, deterioration, etc., or the existence of a record of non-conformity in imports, etc. (21 to 24 types, including chilli peppers, coffee beans, cilantro, astragalus, sesame seeds, etc.). Varieties of processed food or agricultural products that are likely to be falsely declared for the purpose of reducing the payment of tariffs, etc. (sesame seeds, black beans, peanuts, rice, mung beans), and expansion of on-site inspections of appliances for food use, etc., that are declared for a variety of products at once to avoid precision inspections.

On-site inspections of imported aquatic products that have the potential to deceive consumers, such as those that make excessive use of ice-coating for illegal enrichment (overflooding, water injection, etc.), those that make use of the difference in the price of fish species for false declaration of the product name (low-priced→high-priced species), and those that have the potential to evade organoleptic inspections (low-quality products), etc., will also be expanded.

The above is the relevant content in Korea's "2024 imported Food Inspection Plan". Foodmate reminds companies that intend to produce and export processed food, agricultural products, livestock products, aquatic products and food utensils to Korea to comply with the regulations related to imported food in Korea, and at the same time, pay attention to the dynamics of changes in the official inspection plan for imported food, etc. in Korea, so as to reduce the risk of substandard exported products.