The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 9th that E. coli was detected in 13 out of 30 subscription-based chicken breast salad products sold on online platforms, which accounts for 43.3%.
The Consumer Agency confirmed that the results of a hygiene bacteria and food poisoning bacteria safety investigation on 30 chicken breast salad products sold online showed that 13 products contained E. coli exceeding the standard limits. E. coli is a bacterium present in the intestines of humans and animals, and is detected in foods that are manufactured or handled unsafely. Infection with E. coli can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting.
The products that exceeded the E. coli standard include ▲ Delicious Salad's chicken breast salad ▲ Magical Salad's herb chicken breast ▲ Morning Food's chicken breast sweet potato salad ▲ Crunchy Diet's chicken breast steak ▲ Bao Fresh's sous-vide chicken breast ▲ VT Lab's chicken breast cabbage salad ▲ Salad Gram's chicken breast roll cheese salad ▲ Salad You's tandoori chicken breast salad ▲ Slim Cook's chicken breast squid salad ▲ Yoon's Meal's chicken breast salad ▲ Eat Like It's's chicken pineapple salad ▲ Pal Pal Diet Research Institute's sous-vide chicken breast sriracha mayo ▲ Fresh Code's ricotta & chicken breast salad.
However, no food poisoning bacteria such as Salmonella, enterohemorrhagic E. coli, or Staphylococcus aureus were detected in any of the products.
Of the 30 chicken breast salad products, 12 were found to have misleading advertisements that could cause confusion over disease prevention effectiveness or misinterpretation as health supplements. The products with unfair advertisements include ▲ Magical Salad's herb chicken breast ▲ Crunchy Diet's chicken breast steak ▲ Salad Gram's chicken breast roll cheese salad ▲ Cellar Table's rosé chicken breast salad Thousand Island dressing ▲ Salad School's chicken breast & quail egg ▲ Salad You's tandoori chicken breast salad ▲ Slim Cook's chicken breast squid salad ▲ Yoon's Meal's chicken breast salad ▲ Eat Like It's's chicken pineapple salad ▲ Colorful Table's spicy chicken thigh salad with ranch dressing ▲ Pocket Salad's peppercorn chicken breast salad ▲ Pull It Salad's herb salt chicken salad (spicy mayo dressing). Claims like 'aids diabetes,' 'for weight loss,' and '15kg weight loss' were prominently posted on online sales pages.
The Consumer Agency recommended that businesses manufacturing and selling products with detected E. coli and those with inappropriate nutrition labeling and advertising cease sales and improve quality and labeling. Nine businesses associated with the products that tested positive for E. coli responded with quality improvement plans, while four businesses (Delicious Salad, Magical Salad, Morning Food, Salad You) have suspended sales. Additionally, ten businesses associated with unfairly advertised products responded with plans to improve misleading labeling and advertising, with two businesses (Magical Salad, Salad You) stating they would stop sales.
Among the six products that emphasized low sodium and low calories, five were found to be non-compliant with the nutrition labeling standards established for food. The products emphasizing low sodium and low calories include ▲ Cellar Table's rosé chicken breast salad Thousand Island dressing ▲ Salad Book's chicken breast tortilla salad & chipotle dressing ▲ Farm Eat's smoked chicken breast salad ▲ Pull It Salad's herb salt chicken salad (spicy mayo dressing) ▲ Crunchy Diet's chicken breast steak ▲ Just Green's smoked chicken breast salad. Of these, only the Just Green product met the nutrition labeling standards. Two products that emphasized high protein (Crunchy Diet, Just Green) complied with the relevant standards. All businesses associated with the five non-compliant products responded to the Consumer Agency with plans to improve the labeling.
Among the 30 products subject to investigation, the nutrient content of 17 products that indicated nutritional information was examined, revealing that six products fell outside the acceptable error range established. These products are ▲ Delicious Salad's chicken breast salad ▲ Morning Food's chicken breast sweet potato salad ▲ Salad Panda's chicken breast salad ▲ Slim Cook's chicken breast squid salad ▲ Yoon's Meal's chicken breast salad ▲ Eat Like It's's chicken pineapple salad. Notably, the fat content in the Slim Cook product was found to be up to 185% higher than indicated. Among these, two businesses (Delicious Salad, Morning Food) responded that they would suspend sales to the Consumer Agency.
A Consumer Agency official noted, "It is important to check the nutrient content carefully, and products purchased online should be refrigerated immediately upon delivery. We recommend consuming the ordered products as soon as possible."