Food Code is one of the most important regulations for the Korean food industry. It specifies the standards and specifications of each food category, regulates the maximum limits of pesticides, and details the food raw material lists. 

Contents of Korea Food Code:

Chapter1. General Provisions

1. General Principles

2. Application of Standards and Specifications

3. Explanations of Terms

4. Classification of Food Ingredients

Chapter 2. General Standards and Specifications

1. Standards for Food Ingredients

 1) Requirements for Ingredients, etc.

 2) Standards for Determining Food Ingredients

2. Manufacturing and Processing Standards

3. Standards and Specifications for General Foods

1) Properties and Conditions

2) Foreign Matters 

3) Food Additives 

4) Hygiene Indicator Bacteria and Foodborne Pathogens 

5) Contaminants 

6) Food Irradiation Standard

7) Maximum Residual Limits for Pesticides

8) Maximum Residual Limits for Veterinary Drugs

9) Maximum Residual Limits for residual substances in Livestock and Fishery Products

10) Illegal Compounds

11) δ-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol Limit 

12) Urushinol Component Limit

13) Grayanotoxin III Limit

14) Specifications for Edible Meat

15) Specifications for Raw Milk

16) Specifications for Fishery Products

17) Capsules Used in Manufacturing/Processing Foods 

4. Preservation and Distribution Standards

1) General Standard

2) Preservation and Distribution Temperature 

3) Preservation and Distribution Method

4) Establishment of the Distribution Period

Chapter 3. Standards and Specifications of Food for Infants and Young Children

1. Foods Labelled and Sold as Those Intended for Infants/Young Children

2. Foods Labelled and Sold as Those Intended for Elderly

Chapter 4. Standards and Specifications of long-preserved food

1. Canned/Bottled Foods

2. Retort Foods

3. Frozen Foods

Chapter 5. Standards and Specifications for Each Food Category

1. Confectioneries, Breads or Rice Cakes 

2. Frozen Confectioneries

2-1 Ice Creams (*Livestock products)

2-2 Ice Cream Mixes (*Livestock products)

2-3 Frozen Confectionery Products

2-4 Ices

3. Cocoa Products or Chocolates

3-1 Processed Cocoa Products

3-2 Chocolates

4. Saccharides 

4-1 Sugars

4-2 Sugar Syrups

4-3 Oligosaccharides

4-4 Glucose 

4-5 Fructose

4-6 Taffies (Yeot)

4-7 Processed Saccharide Product

5. Jams

6. Soybean Curds or Muk (Starch Jellies)

7. Edible Fats and Oils

7-1 Vegetables Fats and Oils

7-2 Animal Fats and Oils(*Livestock products, excluding Fish oil and other animal fats and oils)

7-3 Processed Edible Fat and Oil Products

8. Noodles

9. Beverages

9-1 Teas

9-2 Coffee

9-3 Fruit/Vegetable Beverages

9-4 Carbonated Beverages

9-5 Soy Milks

9-6 Fermented Beverages

9-7 Ginseng/Red Ginseng Beverages

9-8 Other Beverages

10. Special Nutritional Foods

10-1 Milk Formulas (*Livestock products) 

10-2 Infant Formulas

10-3 Follow-up Formulas

10-4 Cereal formulas for Infants/Young Children 

10-5 Weight Control Formulas

10-6 Foods for Pregnant/Lactating Women

10-7 Nutritional Formulas for the Elderly

11. Foods for Special Medical Purposes

11-1 Standard Nutritional Formulas

11-2 Customized Nutritional Formulas

11-3 Meal type dietary management foods for patients

12 Soy Sauces and Pastes

13. Seasoning Foods

13-1 Vinegars

13-2 Sauces

13-3 Curries

13-4 Hot Pepper Powder or Shredded Hot Pepper 

13-5 Spice Products

13-6 Edible Salts

14. Pickled Foods or Boiled Foods

14-1 Kimchi Products

14-2 Picked Food Products

14-3 Boiled Foods

15. Alcoholic Beverages

15-1 Fermented Alcoholic Beverages

15-2 Distilled Alcoholic Beverages 

15-3 Other Alcoholic Beverages

15-4 Spirits

16. Processed Agricultural Foods

16-1 Starch Products

16-2 Wheat Flour Products

16-3 Processed Peanut or Nut Products

16-4 Cereals

16-5 Parboiled Rice

16-6 Enzyme Food

16-7 Other Processed Agricultural Products

17-1 Hams (*Livestock products)

17-2 Sausages (*Livestock products)

17-3 Bacons (*Livestock products)

17-4 Dry Stored Meats (*Livestock products) 

17-5 Seasoned Meats (*Livestock products)

17-6 Meat Extract Product (*Livestock products) 

17-7 Meat Meal Kit (*Livestock products) 

17-8 Processed Product Containing Meat

17-8 Packaged Meat (*Livestock products)

18-1 Egg Product (*Livestock products)

18-2 Processed Product Containing Egg 

19-1 Milks (*Livestock products) 

19-2 Processed Milks (*Livestock products)  

19-3 Goat Milks (*Livestock products)

19-4 Fermented Milks (*Livestock products) 

19-5 Butter Milk (*Livestock products)

19-6 Concentrated Milks (*Livestock products) 

19-7 Milk Creams (*Livestock products)

19-8 Butters (*Livestock products)

19-9 Cheeses (*Livestock products)

19-10 Powdered Milks (*Livestock products) 

19-11 Wheys (*Livestock products)

19-12 Lactose (*Livestock products)

19-13 Hydrolyzed Milk Protein Products (*Livestock products)

19-14 Processed product containing milk

20-1 Processed Fish Meat Products

20-2 Salted and Fermented Seafood Products

20-3 Dried Fish/Shellfish Fillet Products

20-4 Seasoned Laver

20-5 Agar 

20-6 Other Processed Fishery Products

21. Processed Animal Food Products 

21-1 Other Meat or Other Egg Products

21-2 Insect Products

21-3 Soft-shelled Turtle Products

21-4 Processed Extract Product

22-1 Honeys 

22-2 Royal Jellies

22-3 Processed Pollen Foods 

23-1 Raw Foods

23-2 Ready-to-Eat/Convenience Foods

23-3 Dumplings

24. Other Foods 

24-1 Yeast Foods

24-2 Other Processed Products

Chapter 6. Food Cooking Standards and Specifications of Restaurants, etc.

1. Definition

2. Application of standards and specifications

3. Ingredient Standards

4. Food Preparation and Management Standards 

5. Specifications

6. Test Methods

Chapter 7. Sampling Method

1. Significance of Sampling

2. Definitions of Terms

3 General Principles of Sampling

4. Sampling and Handling Tips 

5. Sampling Instruments and Containers 

6. Individual Sampling and Handling Methods 

Chapter 8. Testing Method

Chapter 9. Re-examination Period 

Attached Tables:

Attached Table 1 Permitted Raw Materials

Attached Table 2 Limited Raw Materials

Attached Table 3 Raw Materials with Temporary Standards and Specifications

Attached Table 4 Maximum Residual Limits for Pesticides in Foods

Attached Table 5 Maximum Residual Limits for Veterinary Drugs in Foods 

Attached Table 6 Guideline for Establishing Maximum Residue Limits of Veterinary Drugs and Pesticides in Foods 

Attached Table 8 Exceptions for MRLs requirements

S. Korea Food Code contains standards and specifications of foods under different categories. No official English version has been published. ChemLinked provides translation services, and you can choose to translate the parts as needed. Please contact us via food@chemlinked.com.