It has been concluded that the presence of cleaning water in Maeil Dairies' original sterilized milk is likely due to a mistake by the cleaning operator. Consequently, Maeil Dairies is expected to face administrative action from the relevant authorities. According to Article 33 of the Livestock Products Sanitation Management Act, this could result in a maximum business suspension of one month. Additionally, Maeil Dairies must dispose of over 8,300 affected products.
On the 17th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety reported that an on-site investigation at Maeil Dairies' Gwangju factory, which had recalled products due to the mixing of cleaning water during the sterilized milk manufacturing process, found violations. Accordingly, the ministry has requested administrative action from the relevant authorities. Administrative action may result in a business suspension of up to one month. A ministry official noted, 'If it meets the criteria for mitigation, such as rapid response, the suspension period may be reduced.'
The ministry stated, 'Although the sterilizer is separate from the filling line, it is presumed that the issue arose from a mistake by the operator during the cleaning operation inside the sterilizer, which caused the valve connected to the filling line to open.'
Taking into account the production date of the problematic products, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety conducted a thorough investigation of production history from July 1 of this year to the present. As a result, it was confirmed that the sterilizer valve was open for about one second at 3:38 a.m. on September 19, 2024, allowing cleaning water to mix into the product filling line.
In response, the ministry instructed Maeil Dairies' Gwangju factory to establish a revised manufacturing management plan, including measures to prevent unintentional valve manipulation to prevent recurrence. Maeil Dairies announced that it has prevented recurrence of the issue through software changes. The ministry also issued a corrective order regarding inadequate Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) management.
The fact that cleaning water was present in Maeil Dairies' products became known through the internet on the 12th. Photos of milk containing a brown solution were also shared. The post stated that 'an employee from Hyundai Motor's Namyangju research center was hospitalized after vomiting blood after drinking 200㎖ of Maeil milk served during a meal' and said, 'It is presumed to be a strong alkaline liquid containing bleach in such a concentration that it could damage the mouth within one second.'
As a result, Maeil Dairies issued an apology on the 16th under the name of Vice Chairman Kim Sun-hee. In the statement, Maeil Dairies clarified that 'the number of products produced during this time was 50, and it has identified that they were supplied to only one specific customer.' Subsequently, Maeil Dairies noted, 'We have recalled all products produced on that day, including those produced during the valve malfunction.'
Maeil Dairies expressed, 'A quality accident that should never occur in a product trusted and consumed for health by everyone from young children to the elderly has happened.' It also stated, 'This should never happen in even a single pack of milk, and we deeply reflect on our shortcomings in the management of the production process and quality inspection procedures.'
Maeil Dairies must dispose of over 8,300 products produced on that date and time. As of that day, approximately 15,000 products have been recalled. This is due to the issue of diminished trust in food safety, prompting the recall of products that were not originally subject to disposal.