In recent years, with the co
ntinuous improvement of the eco
nomic level, the im
port and export trade between countries, especially the food trade, has also increased. However, in the im
port declaration process, the food exported to Korea from various countries has exceeded the standard due to me
tal foreign substances, and has been repeatedly notified and refused entry by the South Korean authorities. Many export companies may face the dilemma of products being returned or destroyed.
me
tallic foreign bodies in food (mainly powder products) have always been the focus of Korean official im
port inspections and random inspections in the domestic market. South Korean MFDS has repeatedly notified the unqualified information of such products in random inspections. Coupled with media exposure, me
tallic foreign bodies in products have become a hot issue of co
ncern to Korean consumers. However, exporting companies from various countries may not be aware of the reasons why their products were notified by South Korea. In order to enable enterprises from various countries to export to South Korea smoothly, Foodmate will introduce information on unqualified foods that are refused entry into Korea, random inspections in the Korean domestic market, supervision of me
tallic foreign bodies in various countries, and preventive measures in order to provide assistance to export companies.
1.South Korea notified the refusal of entry of substandard food information
From January to November 2020, 54 batches of food products exported to Korea from various countries have been notified by South Korea and refused entry due to excessive me
tallic foreign bodies. Some products have exceeded the Korean safety standard by up to 29 times. Examples of products notified by MFDS in various countries are as follows：
2.Information on the unqualified sampling of relevant products in the Korean domestic market
On May 26, 2020, South Korea conducted a random inspection of the top 20 barley sprout powder on the Internet. The results showed that the metal foreign matter detected in 11 kinds of barley sprout powder products exceeded the standard, the minimum metal foreign matter detected was 13.7 mg/kg, and the most was more than 5 times the safety standard set by South Korea. The unqualified products were recalled and destroyed.
On July 21, 2020, the Korea Consumer Agency tested 20 kinds of condiments, including pepper, cinnamon powder, and cumin powder, which were popular online, and found that the iron powder content of 14 kinds of products exceeded the standard, and the highest level exceeded 18 times the safety standard, nearly 70% of the condiments tested did not comply with Korean regulations.
3.The regulatory policies adopted by the Korean regulatory authorities for this type of imported food
On November 12, 2020, South Korea’s MFDS issued a notification of designated inspection objects for imported food orders (No. 2020-17). The inspection time for barley malt powder exported to Korea from all countries was extended by one year. The implementation date is November 25, 2020. Until November 24, 2021.
The above content is the report of food exported to South Korea due to excessive metal foreign bodies and random inspections in the domestic market. the regulatory policies adopted by the Korean regulatory authorities for this type of imported food.
In order to ensure the smooth development of foreign companies' export trade to South Korea, next time we will introduce the regulatory requirements of various countries on metal foreign bodies in food, the causes of metal foreign bodies and preventive measures.
Please note: Original English article of Business Division of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance of Global Foodmate, please indicate the source from the Global Foodmate if reprint.
Business Division of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance of Global Foodmate provides food standards & regulations research, labelling compliance consulting/Chinese label design, industry public opinion monitoring and analysis, registration services (of Infant formula, FSMP, Health food, Novel Food Ingredients, Novel Food Additives, New Varieties of Food-Related Products and Overseas manufacturers of imported food) and other comprehensive food safety solutions for domestic and overseas enterprises and institutions in food industry.
Please feel free to contact us: +86 10 68869850, E-mail: global_info@foodmate.net
