On June 29th, the KFDA of South Korea announced 5 main changes in South Korean’s food safety policies since the second half of this year.

1. Since July, facility standards as set out in Food Sanitation Law will be mandatorily applicable to liquor manufacturing companies. Food Sanitation Law has detailed regulations on building position, workshop, food processing equipment, water supply facilities, rest room, warehouse and inspection chamber and equipment transportation. To alleviate economical burden on liquor manufacturing companies, only Liquor Tax Act was applied in the last two years.

2. Since September, the halal foods certificated by foreign certification institutes and South Korean’s civil certification institutes which obtain the acceptance of KFDA will be allowed for identification and advertisement.

3. Since October, allergens marked on livestock processed products as required will expand from 12 to 18 categories. Meanwhile, the livestock processed products mandatorily requiring to mark nutrition facts expand from dairies and sausages to hams.

The previously 12 allergens required to be marked are egg, milk, buckwheat, peanut, soybean, wheat, mackerel, crab, shrimp, pork, peach and tomato; additional 6 allergens required to be marked are nut, beef, chicken, sleeve-fish, shells (oyster, abalone, marine rainbow) and pyrosulfuric acids (calculated by SO2 when residue exceeds 10mg/kg).

4. Since December, infant foods, health-caring food manufacturing companies with annual sales volume over 10 billion won, import and export companies and food sales companies with store area over 500 m2 will be mandatorily required to implement food traceability system.

5. Since July, HACCP certificated companies obviously disqualifying sanitary control level or having histories on violating safety relating matters will be deprived of their certification.