Incheon Metropolitan City’s special judicial police carried out a targeted investigation of restaurants and livestock product vendors located near heavily frequented facilities ahead of the Chuseok holiday, uncovering nine cases of illegal activity including false labeling of food origin. The move aims to create an environment in which residents can shop with confidence during a period when food consumption rises for the holiday.
 [코리안투데이] Crackdown on food origin labeling violations ahead of the Chuseok holiday © 장형임 기자 |
Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Chan-dae) announced that its special judicial police conducted a two-week targeted investigation beginning September 7, examining restaurants and livestock product vendors near airports, ports and train stations, as well as those located in tourist areas, department stores, general shopping malls and large jjimjilbang (Korean saunas), and detected a total of nine establishments in violation of origin-labeling rules and other livestock-related regulations.
The crackdown was undertaken in anticipation of increased visitors to multi-use facilities during the holiday and a corresponding rise in livestock product consumption, with the goal of ensuring residents can eat with peace of mind.
The investigation found two restaurants that used only Chinese-grown napa cabbage kimchi while falsely labeling its origin as both domestic and Chinese, and one livestock vendor that failed to display any of the required product information on samgyeopsal (pork belly) held for sale. In addition, five restaurants did not indicate the origin of beef, chicken, tofu and nurungji (scorched rice), and one restaurant failed to keep livestock transaction records for the required six-month period; all are subject to fines.
The penalties under the relevant laws are far from light. Under the Act on Origin Labeling of Agricultural and Fishery Products, false or misleading origin labeling can be punished by up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won, while failure to display required livestock information, in violation of the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, can result in up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won.
The city plans to conclude its investigation of the three establishments and refer them to the prosecution, and will also notify the relevant district offices so that administrative measures can be taken in parallel. At the same time, the city said it tested nine samples of pork collected from three livestock vendors to check for illegal distribution of mislabeled products, and all were confirmed to be domestic in origin.
Choi Jong-mun, head of Incheon’s special judicial police division, said, ‘Awareness of origin-labeling management at restaurants remains insufficient.’ He added, ‘Because origin labeling and hygiene management of agricultural and livestock products are matters that must be thoroughly overseen to ensure safe food distribution, we will continue to provide guidance and conduct crackdowns so that residents can consume with confidence.’
Ahead of the holiday, deceiving consumers about origin or failing to meet labeling obligations goes beyond a mere administrative breach, directly threatening consumers’ right to know and the safety of the family table. This crackdown is seen as a measure to preempt violations that exploit rising holiday consumption and to preserve a distribution order that residents can trust.
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
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