This article was displayed on the ChosunBiz RM Report site at 5:21 a.m. on Nov. 27, 2025.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will conduct a "reassessment of standards and specifications for foods, etc." starting in January. The move was sparked by a growing controversy over the safety of color additives surrounding the Chinese ice cream "Merong Bar."
According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 27th, the reassessment of food standards and specifications is a regular review conducted every five years under the Food Sanitation Act. The last assessment was carried out in 2019. Next year's assessment will be conducted for the first time in six years. The ministry said, "It is not unrelated to rising concerns about the safety of color additives as consumption of Chinese snacks has increased."
At the center of the controversy is the Chinese "Merong Bar." Launched by convenience store GS25 in September, Merong Bar shook up the convenience-store ice cream market by selling more than 5 million units in just two months. The "Strawberry Merong Bar," released in October soon after, ranked No. 2 in overall ice cream sales just one week after its launch.
It softens like jelly when it melts and is shaped like a tongue, so consumers call it the so-called "tongue ice cream." On YouTube and social media, challenge videos competing to see "who can melt it faster" have spread. It is drawing an explosive response, especially among elementary school students.
The issue is that the product contains synthetic tar-based color additives. The package lists Brilliant Blue FCF (Blue No. 1), Tartrazine (Yellow No. 4), and Allura Red AC (Red No. 40) as ingredients. Under Korea's Act on Special Measures for Children's Dietary Life, only two tar color additives—Amaranth (Red No. 2) and New Coccine (Red No. 102)—are banned in children's favorite foods such as snacks and ice cream. Accordingly, Merong Bar is sold domestically with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's formal approval, and the ministry's position is that tar-based color additives pose no problem if used within prescribed limits.
However, the fact that these color additives are facing regulatory moves worldwide is seen as the backdrop for the ministry's decision to conduct a reassessment.
The U.S. government has already revoked approval for food and drug use of Yellow No. 4, prohibiting its use in foods. In addition, according to materials the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released in April, the U.S. government is proceeding with a phased phaseout of synthetic tar-based food color additives from foods. It has established national standards and timelines to enable a transition to natural alternative colorants and has also begun the process of revoking approvals for synthetic dyes. This includes Brilliant Blue FCF (Blue No. 1) used in Merong Bar.
In particular, regulations related to Allura Red AC (Red No. 40) used in Merong Bar are tightening further. In October, California passed a bill to ban products containing the related artificial color additives from public school meals entirely by the end of 2027.
The European Union (EU) is also continually strengthening safety thresholds for each color additive. According to the Korea Food Safety Research Institute, Tartrazine (Yellow No. 4) used in Merong Bar is classified as a substance that may trigger asthma. Brilliant Blue FCF (Blue No. 1) is also advised to be limited in intake because it may cause hyperactivity in children. For Allura Red AC (Red No. 40), packages must carry the statement that it "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children."
Not only Merong Bar but also a substantial number of jelly products sold in Korea reportedly contain multiple tar-based color additives. In October last year, Park Hee-seung of the Democratic Party of Korea said that a review of food labels for 103 jellies sold near elementary schools and online found 73 contained tar color additives, accounting for 70% of the total. Jellies using tar color additives used an average of 2.5 dyes, and 2 of the 103 were imported jellies containing color additives not approved for use in Korea.
In this reassessment, the ministry plans to comprehensively examine the safety of edible color additives and, using the latest evaluation methods, rejudge the appropriateness of each dye's use.
A ministry official said, "When a safety controversy arises over foods sold in our country, the ministry looks into it," adding, "The dyes at issue under the current standards do not pose a high risk to human health, but we will examine the appropriateness of using edible color additives, focusing on the currently popular product (Merong Bar)."