South Korea Unveils Five-Year Food Standards and Specifications Management Plan

On February 19, 2025, the South Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety released the 3rd Five-Year Food Standards and Specifications Management Plan (2025-2029). The plan focuses on preparing for future societal changes, such as climate and environmental shifts and technological advancements, while establishing practical food standards and specifications that the industry can implement. This aims to ensure food safety and support sustainable industrial growth over the next five years.

Key initiatives:

• Refine food type classification criteria and minimize manufacturing standards and specifications unrelated to safety to facilitate product innovation;

• Expand nutritional ingredient sources for health functional foods and patient foods to accommodate the aging population and growing consumer interest in personalized nutrition;

• Revise the classification system for food additives, including nutrient fortifiers and phosphates, in line with international standards;

• Recognize safe traditional fermentation microorganisms as food ingredients for use as bio-based food materials and set safety management standards for cell-cultured foods;

• Strengthen the monitoring of emerging hazardous substances such as natural toxins and microplastics as a result of environmental changes;

• Set pesticide residue standards for herbs (e.g., coriander) with rising demand and for climate-adaptive crops (e.g., mango, olive);

• Transition to a management system that designates and regulates permissible raw materials in food utensils, containers, and packaging. Additionally, establish safety standards for physically recycled materials derived from reusable containers (e.g., PE, PP) to support circular economy initiatives;

• Develop digital systems to allow easy access to food regulations.