South Korea to strengthen imported food safety inspections

South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has announced amendments to the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management to strengthen safety inspections and streamline administrative procedures.

Under the new rules, intensive inspections for imported foods with a history of non-compliance will be increased from a standard of five inspections to a maximum of 20, depending on the risk level of the harmful components. To protect consumers, online purchasing agents will be required to provide links to the ‘Overseas Direct Purchase Food All-Right’ website, which contains detailed information on 4,999 products identified with harmful ingredients.

The amendments also aim to reduce regulatory burdens. The scope for approving changes in the intended use of imported raw materials has been expanded to include situations involving large-scale disasters or infectious diseases. Additionally, startup companies in business incubation centers can now register offices for imported food sales, and the requirement to manually submit hygiene education certificates will be waived if officials can verify them through administrative information networks.