By Lee Kyung-min
The government will strengthen measures to better ensure the safety of foods and consumer goods following a chain of scares involving insecticide-tainted eggs, sanitary pads allegedly containing toxic chemicals and undercooked meat patties sold in franchise restaurants. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety unveiled new measures Wednesday that will be implemented next year.
Under the new measures, manufacturers of sanitary pads will be required to identify every ingredient on product packaging using fonts large enough for consumers to read. Currently, pads are not categorized as medical “devices,” and therefore manufacturers are not required to disclose all the materials and only need to list a few of the main components used in their products.
The ministry said it will require egg farmers to outsource their packaging process to dedicated egg-packaging companies that can assess their quality.
Ham, sausages and other processed meat products will be subject to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), a management system through which food safety is addressed. HACCP analyzes and controls biological, chemical and physical hazards involving production, handling and processing of raw materials as well as distribution and consumption of the final product.
The measures come amid heightened public awareness of safety of consumer goods and foods following numerous stories that confirm the public’s inclination to believe otherwise. In early August, 49 farms were found to have sold eggs that were contaminated with high levels of harmful chemicals that should have been banned from sale. Many of them were government-approved “organic” farms that used such substances at permissible levels. Their organic licenses were immediately revoked, but this failed to allay public fear and anger.
Less than a month after the egg scare, the country _ mainly women _ was thrown into confusion over toxic chemical-ridden disposable sanitary pads. Kleannara, the local manufacturer of the controversial disposable sanitary pads, initially began refunding customers but ended up shutting down production after their products were removed from shelves at major retail stores. The scare was triggered after a women’s rights group, Korean Women’s Environmental Network (KWEN), disclosed the names of harmful substances found in 10 types of pads from 22 domestic manufacturers. The alleged chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), easily become vapors or gases and they are released by burning fuel, gasoline, wood or coal, generating human carcinogens such as benzene and formaldehyde.