Request a Demo1. Definition
In South Korea, "meat product, or "livestock products (축산물)" refers to edible meat, packaged meat, raw milk, edible eggs, processed meat products, processed milk products, and processed egg products.
2. Competent authority
Competent authority | Responsibility |
Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS, formerly known as the Korea Food & Drug Administration or KFDA) | Law Making New ingredient and standard registration Business registration Facility inspection |
3. Market access approval
3.1 Essential prerequisite for import
Korean authority has designated the permitted scope of livestock products from the specific countries and regions: Regulation on Permitted Import Countries (Regions) and Sanitation Requirements of Livestock Products and Animal Products.
3.2 Business Registration
Overseas companies intending to sell products to South Korea shall register the import business with MFDS or appoint an agent to conduct the business registration.
The import business registrations include four types:
1. Business of importing and selling imported food, etc. (referring to the business of importing and selling imported food, etc.);
2. Business of filing import declarations of imported food, etc. by proxy;
3. Business of online purchasing of imported food, etc. by proxy;
4. Business of storing imported food, etc.
3.3 Foreign Establishment Registration
The term "foreign establishment" means an establishment located abroad where livestock products are slaughtered, milk is collected, livestock products and dairy products are manufactured, processed, stored, etc.;
As stipulated in the Imported Food Act, foreign establishment registration (해외제조업소) is mandatory for all imported livestock products. Business entities shall apply for registration with MFDS via the local government before exporting.
3.4 Import Declaration
The business entity shall file an import declaration of the relevant foods with the MFDS. The ingredient information needs to be filed in the import declaration application letter.
The submission dossier for import declaration includes an application letter along with the following:
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3.5 Import Inspection
The imported foods whose import declaration has been filed, are subject to necessary inspections before customs clearance formalities for the products. MFDS adopts four types of imported inspections: document inspection, on-site inspection (sensory test), thorough inspection (strictest inspection), and random sampling inspection. Foods imported to South Korea for the first time, must undergo a thorough inspection.
Recommended resources: Online Course: Focus on Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea: Food Compliance and Import Procedure Interpretation FoodPedia: South Korea Imported Food Regulation Webinar: Selling Food in South Korea: Food Importation Procedures and Regulatory Compliance |
4 Product Compliance
4.1 Product requirements
No. | Category | Note |
1 | Product standards and specifications, including manufacturing standards, ingredient standards, and sanitation requirements | Shall comply with the corresponding standards in Food Code , Sanitation Grading Standards of Raw Milk, andStandards for Marketing Cut Meats. |
2 | Standards for slaughter and treatment of livestock and collection of milk | Shall comply with the Attached Tabel 1 of the Enforcement Rule of the Livestock Product Sanitation Act |
3 | General food materials used in livestock products | Shall comply with Food Code |
4 | Food additives used in livestock products | Shall comply with Food Additive Code |
4.2 Label
With reference to the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, the product name, contents, ingredients, registered business entity’s name and address, precautions, expiration date, and other items should be marked on the product package in Korean. Enterprises can put a sticker/label/tag on imported foods. The sticker should not be peeled off easily.
To be noticed, additional labeling items are mandatory for frozen products:
If livestock products are frozen or refrigerated, "frozen (냉동)" or "refrigerated (냉장)" should be indicated on the principle display panel. Unless the relative expression is included in the product name, such as “frozen beef".
Livestock products that are converted from refrigerated products to frozen products should be additionally indicated with the following information. In this case, the existing labeling information must not be obscured or removed:
(a) The statement of “product is a frozen product converted from a refrigerated product (이 제품은 냉장제품을 냉동시킨 제품입니다)”
(b) The date of freezing the product
(c) Expiration date and storage temperature of the frozen product
For livestock product processed foods, the indication "Thawed refrigerated (room temperature) product (해동된 냉장(실온)제품)" must be indicated near the "frozen" statement on the principal display panel.
More detailed requirements related to South Korea food labeling can be found in Food Labeling Standards.
Regardless of food categories, the label and advertisement shall not involve any information implying the food is a drug, or a non-health functional food is a health functional food. Fraudulent labelling, morally wrong labels, labels that compare the product with other company’s products, and labelling a food as the product is not a food (e.g., cosmetic) are prohibited as specified in the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods.
ChemLinked has helped hundreds of global food enterprises in terms of market access. Please feel free to contact us if you need assistance on health functional food import declaration, new ingredient application, foreign food facility registration, or any consultation service.
