By Kim Jae-won
People caught producing and selling unsafe food could face at least one-year in prison or be issued fines up to 10 times their total sales profits from October at the earliest.
The ruling Saenuri Party and the government agreed to push for the food safety legislation that both sides say will make the nation a “safe zone” where no violations on food safety will be tolerated.
Food safety is one of President Park Geun-hye’s campaign pledges consequent of a number of food scandals, among them, selling health supplements containing heavy metals, chickens that died of avian flu and soups that based on unapproved beef.
The Saenuri Party said that related laws will be revised by the end of this month.
“The party and the government agreed on punitive fines and stronger jail terms,” said the party in a statement.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) said, “If somebody sells chickens with diseases to restaurants with foreknowledge, the merchant may face fines worth 10 times their profits.”
To set up a more transparent food safety process, The Saenuri Party and the government plan to have up to 50 percent of retail food screened according to “hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP).
HACCP is a systematic preventive approach to food safety and allergenic, chemical, and biological hazards in production processes.
“Unsafe foods are threatening public health. It is important to prevent food accidents in advance with preemptive system,” Rep. Kim Hak-yong was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, a regulation is under review that would mandate foreign food makers to register in advance and have their production facilities subject to onsite inspections.
Big restaurants might be classified according to standards of cleanliness as of early next year.