South Korea food safety: Government ban on ruminant meat imports could spell good news for local food firms

Published 2021년 3월 2일

Tridge summary

South Korea is taking steps to enhance its local food safety regulations, especially for meat and meat products, with a focus on preventing mad cow disease. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has imposed a ban on meat imports from 36 countries with a known history of the disease. The ban includes not only meat but also processed meat products. However, certain processed meat products can still be imported with a government certificate that complies with food safety standards. The government is also considering allowing appeals for products proven to be harmless to humans. This comes as a surge in prices for meat products in the foodservice sector and a shift towards retail purchases.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

South Korea has been on a drive to improve its local food safety regulations especially for meat and meat products, for which it has committed to improving in the first half of 2021. The country has also has a long history of being fearful of mad cow disease since as far back as 2003 when the government banned imports of US beef over such fears, and public protests even broke out five years later in 2008 when this ban was reversed. The reversal was upheld despite the protests. “Foods and food additives made from ruminant animals or their by-products from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, the United States [and 30 more countries] are banned from being imported into South Korea,” said the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) via the formal notification document published as an emphasis of meat import regulations. “This is in accordance with Article 21 of the Food Sanitation Act which prohibits the import or sale of specific foods that MFDS has found to be ...

Source: Food Navigator Asia