116 Delivery Food Businesses Caught Selling Expired Products and Violating Regulations in Gyeonggi Province

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hoon] Unscrupulous delivery food businesses have been caught in Gyeonggi Province, including freezing expired fresh chicken for sales purposes, falsely labeling American rice as domestic on delivery apps, and storing sauce that requires refrigeration at room temperature before using it in cooking.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Investigation Police announced on the 26th that they conducted investigations on 600 popular delivery app restaurants and delivery-focused food establishments from January 28 to February 9 amid continued COVID-19 quarantine measures through the Lunar New Year holidays. They found 116 businesses violating the Food Sanitation Act and Origin Labeling Act.

The violations included ▲false origin labeling at 44 establishments ▲storing, cooking, or selling expired products at 37 establishments ▲failure to report or implement changes in business premises area, unreported food service businesses, and unregistered food manufacturing and processing operations at 16 establishments ▲violations of food storage standards and specifications (storing refrigerated foods at room temperature, etc.) at 12 establishments ▲violations of business operator compliance obligations and other infractions at 7 establishments.

Specific violation cases show that an establishment 'A' in Yongin City cooked food using American rice while falsely labeling it as domestic on both its menu and delivery app. An establishment 'B' in Uijeongbu City cooked and sold kimchi stew using Chinese kimchi while falsely labeling it as domestic.

An establishment 'C' in Anyang City was caught after storing fresh chicken with a 7-day shelf life (from date of manufacture) frozen for 78 days for cooking and sales purposes. An establishment 'D' in Yangpyeong County was caught storing and using 9 items including expired buckwheat flour batter in cooking.

An establishment 'E' in Pocheon City was caught storing frozen marinated beef loin at refrigeration temperature, while an establishment 'F' in Pyeongtaek City was caught storing and using tteokbokki sauce that should be refrigerated after opening at room temperature. Establishments 'G' and 'H' in Gapyeong County were caught storing refrigerated Vienna sausages and hanwoo sirloin in freezers.

An unregistered food manufacturing operation 'I' in Uijeongbu City was caught manufacturing and selling seasoning sauce without registering with the competent administrative agency.

According to the Food Sanitation Act, selling or cooking expired products or operating without business notification is punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine of up to 30 million won. According to the Origin Labeling Act, falsely labeling origin or making representations likely to cause confusion is punishable by imprisonment of up to 7 years or a fine of up to 100 million won.

In Chikwon, chief of the Gyeonggi Province Special Investigation Police, stated, "This time, we conducted investigations on delivery food considering the consumption trends, timing, and environmental characteristics resulting from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic," and added, "We plan to strengthen investigations into large-scale food service businesses and food manufacturing and processing operations that have a significant impact on residents' livelihoods in Gyeonggi Province, so that our region does not become a place where food is treated recklessly."