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The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) disclosed Notification No. 2022-76 to publish the modifications in Food Code1 on October 25, 2022. This regulation is effective along with its issuance, except for the provisions of residual pesticides and veterinary drugs, which will be implemented on January 1, 2023.
The details are specified below:
1. Royal Jelly Specification
Considering the characteristics of raw royal jelly, the water and crude protein specifications are modified:
Items | Previous | Present (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) |
2. Aflatoxin Limits
MFDS clarified the obscure food targets subject to aflatoxin limits as below:
Total aflatoxin (Sum of B1, B2, G1 and G2)
Foods | Limits(μg/kg) |
Ingredients of plant origin (except for algae)* | No more than 15.0 (However, no more than 10.0 for B1) |
Processed food (except for infant formulas, follow-up formulas, and foods for infants and young children) | No more than 15.0 (However, no more than 10.0 for B1) |
Infant formulas, follow-up formulas, and foods for infants and young children) | No more than 0.10 (Applicable only to B1) |
*“Ingredients of plant origin” refer to the food categories listed under Article 4 (1) ingredients of plant origin of Chapter 1 in the Food Code.
3. Food Raw Material List Updates
(1) New raw materials inserted in the 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 |
(2) The leaf of Unishiu Orange (귤나무, Citrus unshiu S.Marcov. /Citrus reticulata Blanco) is newly designated as a restricted material.
(3) The obscure raw materials’ names, scientific names, and usage parts are also clarified.
4. Standards of Frozen Foods
Previously, frozen products were prohibited from being re-frozen once being thawed. However, this may lead to food waste if only a part of the raw material is used during manufacturing. To improve utilization and ease enterprises’ burden, the competent authority reasonably optimized the provisions and permitted to temporarily thaw the frozen foods to divide them into smaller amounts.
5. Maximum Residual Limits for Pesticides
The Maximum Residual Limits (MRLs) for 119 pesticides in agricultural products are modified as per the modifications in Pesticide Control Act2.
The pesticides whose residual limits got changed include:
Deltamethrin (21) Dichlorvos, (26) Difenoconazole, (29) Diflubenzuron, (31) Myclobutanil, (32) Malathion, (35) Methomyl, (38) Metalaxyl, (61) Bifenthrin, (66) Cypermethrin, (67) Cyfluthrin, (68) Cyhalothrin, (85) Etofenprox, (93) Omethoate, (101) Imidacloprid, (112) Carbendazim, (116) Cartap, (125) Chlorothalonil, (133) Tebuconazole, (135) Terbufos, (147) Triforine, (149) Triflumizole, (150) Thiabendazole, (162) Fenitrothion, (171) Fenpropathrin, (178) Phoxim, (183) Fluazifop-butyl, (186) Prochloraz, (192) Propiconazole, (200) Hexaconazole, (201) Hexythiazox, (206) Chlorfenapyr, (208) Tebufenpyrad, (212) Flufenoxuron, (218) Dimethomorph, (227) Acetamiprid, (228) Azoxystrobin, (230) Kresoxim-methyl, (231) Chlorfluazuron, (233) Pencycuron, (235) Fosthiazate, (236) Pyriproxyfen, (237) Pymetrozine, (238) Fludioxonil, (239) Fluazinam, (242) Lufenuron, (248) Abamectin, (249) Emamectin benzoate, (251) Etoxazole, (253) Imibenconazole, (259) Pyrimethanil, (273) Milbemectin, (275) Butachlor, (283) Acibenzolar-S-methyl, (285) Acrinathrin, (290) Indoxacarb, (301) Fenhexamid, (302) Fosetyl-aluminium, (309) Flutolanil, (317) Hymexazol, (321) Dinotefuran, (325) Cyazofamid, (326) Acequinocyl, (331) Carfentrazone-ethyl, (332) Clothianidin, (333) Tebupirimfos, (334) Trinexapac-ethyl, (335) Trifloxystrobin, (337) Thiamethoxam, (338) Thiacloprid, (345) Pyraclostrobin, (352) Methoxyfenozide, (353) Metconazole, (355) Spirodiclofen, (356) Ethaboxam, (357) Dithiocarbamates, (361) Tefluthrin, (373) Spiromesifen, (380) Pyridalyl, (391) Mandipropamid, (394) Bistrifluron, (395) Fluopicolide, (399) Cyflumetofen, (403) Metaflumizone, (404) Metrafenone, (405) Cyenopyrafen, (407) Isotianil, (408) Spinetoram, (409) Amisulbrom, (410) Oxolinic acid, (415) Chromafenozide, (421) Lepimectin, (423) Picoxystrobin, (424) Pyrifluquinazon, (426) Ametoctradin, (428) Fluopyram, (430) Sulfoxaflor, (431) Isopyrazam, (433) Cyantraniliprole, (439) Spirotetramat, (441) Pyribencarb, (453) Mandestrobin, (458) Cyclaniliprole, (459) Pyflubumide, (460) Picabutrazox, (461) Benzovindiflupyr, (471) Tetraniliprole, (499) Fluthiacet-methyl, (500) Pydiflumetofen. (501) Streptomycin, (502) Validamycin A, (508) Mefentrifluconazole, (509) Broflanilide, (511) Oxytetracycline, (512) Flometoquin, (513) Acynonapyr, (514) Afidopyropen, (523) Spiropidion, (524) Flupyrimin.
Enterprises can find the detailed MRLs of pesticides in each food item on MFDS online contaminant information platform. As this is a Korean platform, ChemLinked compiles the instructions to access the platform for enterprise references. Find the instructions here: South Korea: New Pesticide MRLs Information Platform3.
6. Other Amendments
The MRLs of eleven veterinary drugs, including Sulfonamides, Coumaphos, Flunixin, etc., are modified.
The MRLs of seven residual substances in Livestock and Fishery Products are amended.
Test Methods are updated.
Obscure phrases are clarified.
Read More:
South Korea Food Code Revisions Collection in 2022
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