As cases mounted of people developing allergies or suffering harm such as dental damage after eating the recently popular "Dubai jjondeuk cookie" (also known as Dubai jjondeuk cookie), the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) issued a consumer safety advisory to prevent accidents.
On the 8th, according to the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA), there were a total of 23 reports related to the Dubai jjondeuk cookie submitted to the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) in January–February.
The most common cases were allergy symptoms after consumption, with 11 cases (47.8%), followed by digestive system disorders with 5 cases (21.7%), dental damage caused by foreign matter mixed in with 4 cases (17.4%), discovery of foreign matter with 2 cases (8.7%), and oral bleeding caused by foreign matter with 1 case (4.4%).
The Dubai jjondeuk cookie is a dessert in which a filling mixed with kadaif and pistachio cream is wrapped in marshmallow mixed with cocoa powder, and it contains allergenic substances such as wheat, milk, and nuts, requiring caution when consuming. However, many online sales pages lacked adequate labeling of related information.
However, when the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) examined labeling practices on online sales pages for 40 Dubai jjondeuk cookie products, more than half—27 sellers—had inadequate or missing allergen labeling.
There were 35 cases of inadequate labeling of the consumption deadline and 16 cases of inadequate labeling of country of origin.
It was also pointed out as a problem that, due to the characteristics of the materials and supplies, there is a possibility that nut shells or tightly clumped kadaif could be mixed in, which may lead to safety accidents such as dental damage.
The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) also noted that while the Dubai jjondeuk cookie is traded on secondhand platforms, it is prohibited under the Food Sanitation Act for individuals to make food and sell it without a business report or to resell it to others.
The agency plans to produce and distribute to sellers "precautions for online sales of Dubai jjondeuk cookies."