South Korea Released Investigation Results on Milk Contamination Incident at Maeil Dairies

On December 17, 2024, South Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety concluded its investigation into the contamination of sterilized milk with cleaning solution during production at the Gwangju facility of Maeil Dairies, the South Korean dairy giant. Violations were identified, prompting administrative actions.

The investigation revealed that the contamination occurred at 03:38 AM on September 19, 2024 when a cleaning solution (2.8% sodium hydroxide) inadvertently entered the product filling line for approximately one second due to the unintended opening of a sterilizer valve during internal cleaning. No anomalies were found outside this specific date and time. The incident was estimated to have potentially affected around 50 products based on equipment capacity.

MFDS instructed Maeil Dairies’ Gwangju plant to establish a revised manufacturing management plan, including safeguards against accidental valve operation. Besides, administrative actions were imposed by the local authority under the Livestock Products Sanitation Control Act, which may involve a one-month business suspension and disposal of the affected products. A corrective order was also issued for inadequate HACCP management verification.

To alleviate consumer concerns, MFDS also collected and tested 30 samples from the same production line on different production dates and from other production lines. Sensory and acidity tests confirmed all samples met safety standards.

After the occurrence of the contamination incident, Maeil Dairies recalled over 10,000 units of its milk produced at the Gwangju facility. The recall involved 200-milliliter cartons of Maeil Milk Original with an expiration date of February 16, 2025.