BGF Retail, which operates the convenience store brand CU, announced on the 10th that the number of stores certified under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's "Restaurant Hygiene Grade System" has exceeded 500.

The Restaurant Hygiene Grade System is a program where the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety evaluates the hygiene status of restaurants and grants grades only to those that are outstanding. It assesses 44 items related to food hygiene and designates three grades: very good, good, and satisfactory based on the scores.

On Dec. 3, at the certification ceremony for the 500th food service hygiene grade system, Park Hyung-sik (left), the QC team leader of BGF Retail, and Hong Seong-hyun, the owner of CU Daejeon Gayang Love Store, are taking a commemorative photo. /Courtesy of BGF Retail

Stores designated with hygiene grades can receive benefits such as a certificate and plaque, support for hygiene supplies, reductions in water and sewage fees, and exemption from hygiene inspections for three years from the date of certification. Customers can confidently use the designated stores by checking the hygiene grade certification.

BGF Retail received its first certification under the Restaurant Hygiene Grade System in May 2022. Since then, it has consistently supported its franchisees in acquiring this certification.

Park Hyung-sik, head of the QC team at BGF Retail, said, "We aim to enhance store competitiveness by ensuring food hygiene safety while also contributing to the creation of a safe and sustainable food culture." He noted that "In the future, CU will actively implement ESG management and strengthen food safety systems for customers to use with confidence."