Updates
South Korea officially revised the Enforcement Rule of Imported Food Act on December 1, 2023. The regulation is effective on December 14, 2023.
On August 21, 2023, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) released an announcement to solicit public opinion on the amendments to Enforcement Rule of Imported Food Act1. Stakeholders can send suggestions to MFDS before October 2, 2023. The proposed amendments include:
1. Introduction of electronic registration certificates for import food business
The authority mainly plans to convert the registration certificates for the import food business from paper to electronic format. The new provision will help to reduce the inconvenience due to damage or loss of the paper certificate.
Furthermore, submitting the original business registration certificate will be exempted when changing, transferring, or closing a business registration, thereby improving administrative convenience. It is also expected to reduce paper usage and waste.
2. Expansion of the scope of converting unqualified imported food to animal feeds
Foods imported to South Korea shall undergo customs inspection. When the products are found to be noncompliant, they should be returned, discarded, or converted to animal feeds. Moreover, only cereals, pulses, and food products processed with these materials can be converted to animal feeds.
According to the exposure draft, the scope of foods converted to feeds will be expanded to those produced based on animal-based raw materials and related processed foods. This aims to minimize economic losses for import companies due to the return and disposal of noncompliant food, while also reducing environmental burdens from waste disposal.
3. Expansion of the recognized document range for exported food
Food exporters in South Korea shall apply for hygiene certificates from MFDS to prove the hygiene of exported food. Export declaration certificate is an essential document to submit when applying for the hygiene certificates. However, export declaration certificate is issued only after reporting to the Korea Customs Service, which is inconvenient for the exporters.
According to the exposure draft, in the future, documents that can confirm shipping facts, such as bills of lading, invoices, and packing specifications, can also be recognized as export declaration certificates It is expected to enable exporters to obtain the recognized documents more quickly, thus contributing to the expansion of exports.
ChemLinked Note
Korean authority's willingness to save resources can also be found in this exposure draft by introducing electronic certificate and allowing more unqualified foods to be used as animal feeds. South Korea is committed to reaching its carbon neutrality goals by 2050 from all aspects. More practical provisions are expected to be disclosed in the subordinate rules. Stay tuned on ChemLinked for more follow-ups.
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