By Lee Hyo-sik
It will likely become easier for Korea to export ginseng and processed food items containing it as the root has been classified as a food product, not a medicine, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Tuesday.
The ministry said during a general meeting in Geneva, Monday, the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CODEX), the U.N. body setting global guidelines on food products, adopted Korea’s standards on ginseng products as an international guideline. In 2001, CODEX acknowledged Korea’s rules concerning kimchi as an international norm.
The organization, headquartered in Rome, was established in 1962 jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Health Organization. It sets global guidelines on food products, which are then used as standards by 186 U.N. member nations.
The Korean government has been trying to have ginseng categorized as a food, not a pharmaceutical drug, adding that CODEX’s latest decision will likely boost the nation’s outbound shipments of ginseng to Japan, China and other countries.
Ginseng and its processed goods have been subject to more stringent customs inspections when brought into foreign countries because it was regarded as a medicine, not food. Higher import tariff rates were also applied to ginseng products, compared to those of other agricultural products, making it less attractive to consumers abroad.
“The CODEX’s decision will be a turning point for Korea’s ginseng industry because it will significantly boost its shipments abroad,” a ministry official said. “Countries in Europe, South America and Southeast Asia have so far treated ginseng as a medicine, but they are expected to change their rules soon.”
The official said the government will extend all the necessary support to boosting the competitiveness of the domestic ginseng industry and helping food companies make inroads into foreign markets.
“Ginseng exports have remained in a slump over the past few years. But CODEX’s decision will encourage many countries, which have never imported ginseng from Korea, to recognize it as a food item and make it easier for local firms to export ginseng to them,” he said.
Currently, Korea ships ginseng products to about70 countries, but nearly 90 percent of its shipments head to China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States.
Ginseng's is known to help strengthen the immune system, stamina and blood circulation.