Follow-ups:
On October 25, 2022, MFDS revised Food Code (amendments related to Notice No. 2022-322).
On December 1, 2022, MFDS revised Food Code (amendments related to Notice No. 2022-323).
On July 18, 2022, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) unveiled two drafts of Food Code1：Notice No. 2022-3222 and Notice No. 2022-3233. The proposed amendments cover the diarrhetic shellfish poison standard, fungal toxin standard, new food raw materials, frozen foods’ re-freezing situation, royal jelly’s specification, and maximum residual limits. The exposure drafts are open for public opinion until September 19, 2022.
1. Diarrhetic Shellfish Poison Standard
To align with international standards, Korean authority plans to modify the substances subject to diarrhetic shellfish poison control. The diarrhetic shellfish poison in Bivalvia refers to the sum of Okadaic acid (OA) and Dinophysistoxin-1(DTX-1) in the present version, which is proposed to be modified as the sum of OA, DTX-1, and Dinophysistoxin-2(DTX-2) in exposure draft.
2. Fungal Toxin Standard
Fumonisin content in sunsik (선식, dry grain food, a popular breakfast replacement food in S. Korea) shall be less than 1 mg/kg.
3. Food Raw Material List Updates
The draft proposed to add 24 food raw materials to the Permitted Raw Material List (Attached Table 1 of Food Code) and newly to designate the leaf of Unishiu Orange as a usage part in the Limited Raw Material List (Attached Table 2 of Food Code). Some materials’ names, scientific names, and usage parts are clarified as well.
Raw Materials added to Permitted Raw Material List are:
No. | Common Name | Scientific Name |
A나011550 | ribbed gunnel (그물베도라치) | Dictyosoma burgeri |
A나012950 | Smallscale blackfish (긴꼬리벵에돔) | Girella melanichthys |
A나045450 | Disk abalone (북방전복) | Haliotis discus hannai |
A나083350 | Hamilton's Thryssa (풀반지) | Thryssa hamiltoni |
A나091432 | Angler | Lophius piscatorius |
A나091520 | Atlantic rock crab | Cancer irroratus |
A나091770 | Bigeye sea perch | Helicolenus barathri |
A나091840 | Blue-barred parrotfish | Scarus ghobban |
A나091930 | Blue skate | Dipturus batis |
A나092025 | Broadclub cuttlefish | Sepia latimanus |
A나092110 | Butter Sole | Isopsetta isolepis |
A나092270 | Common sole | Solea solea |
A나092394 | Flathead lobster | Thenus orientalis |
A나092760 | Highfin coralgrouper | Plectropomus oligacanthus |
A나093172 | Longnose spurdog | Squalus blainville |
A나093342 | Mediterranean scaldfish | Arnoglossus laterna |
A나093506 | Norwegian skate | Dipturus nidarosiensis |
A나093508 | Ocean shrimp | Pandalus Jordani |
A나093650 | Pink shrimp | Farfantepenaeus duorarum |
A나093802 | Ribboned sweetlips | Plectorhinchus polytaenia |
A나094243 | Southwest atlantic butterfish | Stromateus brasiliensis |
A나094245 | Southwest atlantic red crab | Chaceon notialis |
A나094310 | Spinytail skate | Bathyraja spinicauda |
A나094420 | Swarming squat lobster | Munida gregaria |
4. Standards of Frozen Foods
Once being thawed, the frozen products are prohibited from being re-frozen following the present provisions. However, since frozen foods are difficult to be split, the draft permits to temporarily thaw frozen foods to set apart foods that are frozen together.
5. Royal Jelly Specification
Considering the characteristics of raw royal jelly, the water and crude protein specifications are proposed to be modified:
Items | Present specifications | Proposed modifications (marked in red) |
Water (%) | 65.5~68.5 (No more than 5.0 for dried products) | 62.0∼68.5 (No more than 5.0 for dried products) |
Crude protein (%) | 11.0~14.5 (30.0~41.0 for dried products) | 11.0~18.0 (30.0~41.0 for dried products) |
6. Maximum Residual Limits for Pesticides
In the draft of Notice No. 2022-3233, the Maximum Residual Limits (MRLs) of eight pesticides in agricultural products to be updated. The details are as below:
No. | Pesticides | Proposed Amendments (marked in red) |
1 | Cypermethrin | Millet: 1.0T->0.5 mg/kg (amended) Kiwi: 2.0T->0.5 mg/kg (amended) |
2 | Cyfluthrin | Taros: 0.1T->0.05 mg/kg (amended) |
3 | Acephate | Peanuts: 0.2T->0.02†mg/kg(amended) |
4 | Carbendazim | Pepper: 0.15† mg/kg (deleted) |
5 | Carbofuran | Bell pepper: 0.5T->0.05 mg/kg(amended) |
6 | Chlorpyrifos | Eggplant: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Citrus fruits: 1.0† mg/kg (deleted) Potato: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Gyeojachae (겨자채, Assorted Meats and Vegetables with Mustard Sauce: 0.15 mg/kg (deleted) Nuts: 0.05† mg/kg (deleted) Sweet potato: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Sweet potato stems: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Pepper: 1.0 mg/kg (deleted) Pepper (dried): 1.0 mg/kg (deleted) Carrot: 0.09† mg/kg (deleted) Soya beans: 0.04† mg/kg (deleted) Durian: 0.4† mg/kg (deleted) perilla leaf: 0.2 mg/kg (deleted) garlic: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Plum: 1.0 mg/kg (deleted) Cotton seeds: 0.15† mg/kg (deleted) Quince: 1.0 mg/kg (deleted) Radishes(root): 0.07 mg/kg (deleted) Radishes(leaf): 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Wheat: 0.4† mg/kg (deleted) Banan: 2.0† mg/kg (deleted) Chestnuts: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Chinese cabbage: 0.2 mg/kg (deleted) Peach: 0.5 mg/kg (deleted) Broccoli: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Grain sorghum: 0.5† mg/kg (deleted) Turnip: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Spinach: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Cabbage: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Onion: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Ssam cabbage: 0.2 mg/kg (deleted) Cucumber: 0.5 mg/kg (deleted) Maize: 0.05† mg/kg (deleted) Longan: 0.9† mg/kg (deleted) Burdock: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Burdock leaf: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Adlay: 0.1 mg/kg (deleted) Kernel fruit: 1.0 mg/kg (deleted) Plum: 0.2 mg/kg (deleted) Tea: 2.0† mg/kg (deleted) Perilla(leaf): 0.2 mg/kg (deleted) Raw coffee bean: 0.05† mg/kg (deleted) Kale: 0.15 mg/kg (deleted) Kohlrabi: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Cranberry: 1.0† mg/kg (deleted) Welsh onion: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Small red bean: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Green garlic: 0.05 mg/kg (deleted) Bell pepper: 1.0 mg/kg (deleted) Seed spices: 5.0† mg/kg (deleted) Fruit spices: 1.0† mg/kg (deleted) Squash: 0.3 mg/kg (deleted) |
7 | Pyrethrins | Grapes: 1.0T->0.4† mg/kg (amended) |
8 | Lepimectin | Lettuce: 1.0->0.7 mg/kg (amended) |
In the draft of Notice No. 2022-3222, the Maximum Residual Limits (MRLs) for 120 pesticides in agricultural products are to be modified, including:
No. | Pesticides | Proposed Amendments (marked in red) |
1 | Deltamethrin | Wild chive: 0.5 mg/kg (newly added) |
2 | Dichlorvos | Potato: 0.05 mg/kg (newly added) Celery: 0.05 mg/kg (newly added) Dragon fruit: 0.05 mg/kg (newly added) |
3 | Difenoconazole | Cornus fruit (dried): 2.0 mg/kg (newly added) Burdock leaf: 0.05 mg/kg (newly added) |
4 | Diflubenzuron | Raspberry wine: 1.0-> 7.0 (amended) Sesame: 10 mg/kg (newly added) Lettuce: 15 mg/kg (newly added) Laitue:15 mg/kg (newly added) |
… | … | … |
*Consult us for the whole table (contact@chemlinked.com).
*Agricultural products marked with “+” are agricultural products for which the residual limit standard is set at the request of the exporting country. When the products meet the bar, they are approved for importing to S. Korea.
*Agricultural products marked with “T” are agricultural products for which the residual limit standard is a temporary standard.
7. Other Proposed Amendments
l The MRLs of eleven veterinary drugs, including Sulfonamides, Coumaphos, Flunixin, etc., are modified.
l The MRLs of seven residual substances in Livestock and Fishery Products are amended.
l Test Methods are to be updated.
l Obscure phrases are clarified.
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