South Korea Food Regulation Updates in December 2019

They are foods for specific groups (including food for special medical purposes, senior food, plant-based foods, pet foods), health functional food, convenient food, environmentally-friendly food, and food for exportation. View more at CL's annual report later. (Release Date: Dec 4th, 2019)

Starting from Feb 2020, MFDS will provide a consultation service to help food importers to preview food import declaration information, which will help reduce unnecessary financial losses.

Policies related to health functional food took up one-third of the plan. (Dec 30th, 2019)

When a product is banned from being imported, the information of overseas manufacturers will be publicized at the same time. The revision will come into effect on June 4th, 2020. (Notice Date: Dec 3rd, 2019)

Good importers whose importation plans were confirmed by the local government can be exempted from the random sampling inspection, documents inspection or the customs inspection during the customs clearance process once all of their goods are compliant for three consecutive years and have declared over five batches of foods annually in the past three years. (Dec 11th, 2019)

Newly formulated the production standard of containers for nitrous oxide; standard and specification for ammonia and its application scope; testing method of 12 food additives, such as sodium metaphosphate, etc. (Dec 19th, 2019)

All health functional food that contains over 30 mg of iron must be packaged in a safe container or package. The revision will become effective on Dec 30th, 2020. (Dec 30th, 2019)

Revision of eighty pesticide residual limits in agricultural products and ten pesticide residual limits in livestock products; Adjustment of the raw material positive list. The revision came into effect on the same day. (Dec 30th, 2019)

Revision of the tariffs on cereal, meat, fish, and their products, which were implemented on Jan 1st, 2020. (Dec 31st. 2019)

When a product is banned from being imported, the information of overseas manufacturers will be publicized on the MFDS website at the same time; a thorough inspection will be implemented on imported foods where hazardous substances were detected and will last for two years, etc. Opinions shall be sent before Jan 30th, 2020.

The product name of health functional food and processed food will become mandatory. The net content and allergen information of the product shall be declared, etc. Opinions shall be sent before Jan 16th, 2020.

To foster the health functional food industry, MFDS plans to apply the functional labeling system to ordinary food. Opinions shall be sent before Jan 21st, 2020.

MFDS released a guideline to help business operators create compliant nutrition labels in ten steps. Besides, this guideline also provides a decision tree to help business operators find the labeling unit according to different packaging methods, etc. (Notice Date: Dec 16th, 2019)

With more than 600 pages, this guideline covers the guidelines for food manufacturing and circulation management, health functional food management, imported food inspection management, gene-modified food management, livestock product management, etc. (Dec 31st, 2019)