By Soh Ji-young
Staff Reporter

The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) on Thursday disclosed a list of 18 food companies which used stuffing made from spoiled pickled radishes, urging consumers to watch out for five brands which are still circulating in the market.

The revelation came after the nation was shocked by the news that local firms have made and distributed dumplings containing rotten ingredients for the last five years, escalating food safety concerns among the public.

The KFDA said 12 of the 18 firms were found to have produced substandard dumpling products from January 2003 to February this year.

The 12 are Kohyang Frozen Foods, Vision Foods, Chinyong Foods (Seoul factory), Chinyong Foods (Paju factory), Sam Lip General Foods, Chunil Foods, Urimat Foods, Sofiff E&T, Shinhan Foods, Woojong Foods, Chamjoun Foods and Kirin Foods.

The other six firms - Doturak, Kumhong Foods, Shany, Samjon Foods, Okma and Cheil Frozen Foods - had used the bad ingredients in their products from 1999 to 2002, the food agency said. Cheil Frozen Foods is a subsidiary of CJ, the nation’s biggest producer of processed foods.

The KFDA said it has ordered four of the companies listed to recall and destroy products confirmed as having been made from rotten radishes. The firms are Kohyang, Vision and two Chinyong factories.

The agency also decided to recall products of Wonil Foods, not included in the 18-firm list, as a precautionary measure. It could not confirm whether the company used spoiled ingredients as it has ceased business operations.

``As all products made by the five firms are to be destroyed, consumers should not eat them and should notify food authorities if they find any on sale,’’ KFDA commissioner Shim Chang-koo said in a press conference.

Shim said other company products cannot be retrieved as they have already sold out or their circulation period has expired.

The KFDA said it plans additional investigations into seven more firms that are also suspected of having made low-quality dumplings. They include Nanuri Foods and Dongil Frozen Foods, a subsidiary of Dongwon Industries.

The agency has so far seized 20,515 kilograms of low-quality dumpling products while some of the listed firms voluntarily destroyed 54,330 kilograms of products.

Shim said that the KFDA promised to develop measures to prevent the recurrence of a food safety scandal by getting tougher with violators of food safety laws and closely monitoring food companies.

The Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office and the National Police Agency also both pledged to conduct massive crackdowns on those who manufacture or distribute food products hazardous to public health.

The prosecutors’ office said the special crackdown will continue until October, adding that it will form a joint investigation team consisting of prosecutors, KFDA inspectors and local government officials.

But most consumers remain skeptical of the authorities abilities in the fight against the manufacture of spoiled food, calling for revolutionary changes in the food safety system.

Since the scandal emerged early this week, local department stores, supermarkets and other major retail outlets have pulled dumplings from their shelves and sales have plummeted 90 percent.

Shinsegae Department Store said yesterday that it will dispose of dumplings from the listed firms and temporarily ban sales of those from firms under suspicion.

It also plans to strengthen regulations for suppliers of goods in quality control.

Lotte Mart, a leading discount store, also said that it will ban sales of dumplings from the listed firms but will soon restart sales of dumplings from other sources.


Dumpling Firm’s List

12 Firms Using Spoiled Stuffing From 2003
Kohyang Frozen Foods, Vision Foods, Chinyong Foods (Seoul), Chinyong Foods (Paju), Sam Lip General Foods, Chunil Foods, Urimat Foods, Sofiff E&T, Shinhan Foods, Woojong Foods, Chamjoun Foods, Kirin Foods
6Firms Using Spoiled Stuffing in 1999-2002
Doturak, Kumhong Foods, Shany, Samjon Foods, Okma, Cheil Frozen Foods


jysoh@koreatimes.co.kr


06-10-2004 16:12