South Korea Updates Food Code

On June 29, 2020, South Korea promulgated the revised Food Code¹. The amendments include the general provision, pesticides and veterinary drugs residue limits, new raw materials, storage standard, new product type, testing methods, etc. The details are as below:

1. New General Provision

MFDS modified the general provision with the intention of relaxing the restrictions of food categorizing and promoting product innovation. In South Korea, the Food Code¹ regulates the standards and specifications of food products. It consists of (a) general provisions and (b) standards and specifications for each food category specifying the permitted raw materials, manufacturing methods, testing methods, etc. According to the previous regulation, there might be no reference standard for an innovative product with a new food material or new manufacturing technology. Therefore, the competent authority added a new general provision to open more opportunities to the industry: 

2. New Food Materials

The regulation permits 29 new food materials, deletes 1 risk material, and clarifies the obscure descriptions.

Newly added:

Deleted: 

3. Storage Standards

(1) Dried or powdered food products whose water content is less than 15% can be stored or transported frozen.

(2) Canned/bottled food and retort food whose shelf life is over 12 months, can refer to the standards and specifications for long-preserved food.

4. New Food Forms

The new version of Food Code¹ permits vinegar to be made in forms other than liquid.

Additionally, the regulation also allows the seasonings to be made in beverage form.

5. Food Safety Control

MFDS intensified food safety control by adjusting the heavy metal contents remaining in edible insects, the pesticides in vegetables, and veterinary drugs remaining in livestock products.

(1) Heavy Metal Contents in Edible Insect

The authority integrated the heavy metal content limit of each edible insect into one standard:

(2) Veterinary Drug Residue

In beef, pork, chicken, milk, egg, and fish products, the maximum residue of veterinary drugs not specified in the Food Code¹ shall be under 0.01 mg/kg.

(3) Pesticide Residue Limits

The MRLs of 9 pesticides are modified, and the MRLs of 112 pesticides, such as Glufosinate, Glufosinate, Napropamide, etc., are added. (ChemLinked provides custom reports about Korean pesticide MRLs, contact at litianshuang@chemlinked.com for more details.)  

6. Other Amendments

① The specification of sulfate ion in salt is deleted to keep aligned with international standards.

② Testing methods are optimized.

③ Enterprises can manufacture “products with milk(유함유가공품)” according to the proposed standard in MFDS Notification No.2020-3².