Latest! South Korea issues new import inspection instructions for agricultural products

On October 24, 2023, the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) issued instructions for agricultural product import inspections.

Inspection time: October 26th to December 12th 14. (7 weeks)

Inspection method: Inspect once in different packaging locations

Inspection objects and items:

Category inspection items

Sichuan pepper, cumin, mulberry tree, mugwort, lingzhi, longan, castor seed, lettuce, Dongfeng vegetable, pepper, celery random sampling inspection

Vegetables, oak, lentils, tremella, dates, lime, cowpeas, pumpkin seeds, broccoli, strawberries, and rolls

510 types of pesticide projects for vegetables, chicory, and durian

Merier Nutritional Science hereby reminds enterprises with export business to South Korea to conduct risk monitoring in advance and avoid risks.

Violation of Food Exports from China to South Korea

According to the violation data released by the South Korean Food and Drug Administration, there were a total of 234 cases of agricultural food products originating from China from January to September 2023. The main types of violations were processed food and agricultural and forestry products, and the reasons for violations were concentrated in pesticide residues, preservatives, microbial contamination, metallic foreign objects, and prohibited pigments.

Among them, the specific types of illegal products include 93 cases of vegetables and their products, 30 cases of health food, 28 cases of seasoning, etc. The specific illegal products of vegetables and their products include fresh carrots, broccoli, kimchi, yam, scallions, etc. The seasoning is concentrated in Sichuan pepper products.

From the perspective of violation reasons, the main focus is on 116 cases of pesticide residues, 48 cases of food additives exceeding limits or scope of use, and 23 cases of microbial contamination.

It can be seen from this that the main reason for the notification of agricultural and food products exported to South Korea is still pesticide residues, especially some common pesticides such as imidacloprid, fipronil, thiamethoxam, thiamethoxam, and fungicide. It is recommended that enterprises conduct self inspection before exporting to South Korea.

Regulation

Starting from January 1, 2019, South Korea has implemented a new pesticide residue management system for all agricultural products, known as the PLS Positive List System.

This management system is introduced to promote pesticide safety management, and the "unified level" rule (0.01 mg/kg or less) applies to all pesticides except for the maximum residue limit set by South Korea, to ensure that pesticide residues in food are controlled below a level that is harmless even if consumed for a lifetime. All agricultural products and processed foods exported to South Korea must comply with PLS.

In addition, on June 19, 2023, South Korea updated its Imported Food Inspection Regulations, proposing to expand the pesticide residue testing items for imported agricultural products from 69 to 113 to ensure the quality and safety of imported agricultural products.

*Chinese lychees and broccoli are not within the scope of food safety accreditation

Our service

To meet the needs of enterprises exporting to South Korea, Merie Nutrition Science (China) Laboratory has developed a pesticide residue service plan for the South Korean market, specifically targeting agricultural and primary processed products exported to South Korea. It can fully cover all items tested by MFDS official testing, greatly reducing the risk of 

exporting to South Korea:

Qualification of testing cycle for pesticide residue package testing methods

511 International Standard Methods for MFDS Pesticide Residue Testing Exported to South Korea 5-7 Working Days CNAS

113 international standard methods for mandatory pesticide residue testing of agricultural products exported to South Korea: 4-5 working days CNAS

In addition, the China regional laboratory has over 1000 pesticide residue detection capabilities and complete microbial detection capabilities. Qingdao and Ningbo laboratories have about 20 years of experience in pesticide residue testing, equipped with professional instruments and experienced expert teams. They can provide corresponding service plans according to different countries and regions to help enterprises safely launch their products.