Oh Yoo-kyung, the Minister of Food and Drug Safety, visited Samsung Welstory on the 10th, which has introduced automated food devices such as cooking robots, and observed the site where food is automatically cooked and served, and held a meeting with industry stakeholders to promote the safety management certification system for food devices.
Attending the meeting were Samsung Welstory, cooking robot manufacturers, and food device safety management certification organizations (Korea Food Safety Management Certification Institute, NSF Korea, UL Solutions), among others. Samsung Welstory provides food services including group meals and food materials distribution and operates over 400 group meal sites nationwide.
This visit was arranged to confirm the hygiene management status of cooking robots currently in use as the utilization of automated food devices has expanded, especially in group meal sites, and to listen to on-site concerns regarding the activation of the 'safety management certification system for food devices' pilot project.
As part of the 'regulatory innovation 3.0' initiative, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety established 'safety management certification standards for food devices' in November of last year to support the strengthening of safety management for automated food devices and the global market entry of the cooking robot industry, and has certified three products, including the Gripper Bar for cooking robots, to date.
On this day, Minister Oh inspected various automated food devices co-developed by Samsung Welstory and robot manufacturers and urged active participation in the safety management certification for cooking robots promoted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
At the meeting, Jeong Hae-rin, the CEO of Samsung Welstory, said, "To enhance public trust in automated cooking devices and robot-prepared food, clear safety management based on defined standards is necessary, and the certification system provided by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will be of great help to the industry."
Lee Sang-hyo, Head of Team at NSF Korea, an international food device certification organization, explained, "The certification system promoted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has secured equivalence with the important safety evaluation criteria of international standards, ensuring the international credibility of domestic food devices," and added, "Products certified through the pilot program will be listed on the website of the U.S. headquarters of international certification organizations to aid in exports."
Industry participants at the meeting proposed various suggestions, including ▲exemption from additional certification when changing parts design ▲establishment of dedicated consultation channels for detailed certification procedures and methods ▲proactive promotion of the system.
Minister Oh stated, "Food safety is very important not only for ingredients but also for the hygiene and safety management of cooking tools, so I will actively support the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's certification system to ensure that excellent domestic cooking robots can enter the global market." She continued, "I will also actively reflect on the suggestions made today to ensure that the certification system is swiftly established and that we can feel the effects of industrial growth and expanded exports on-site."