The Seoul Metropolitan Government's Judicial Police Department announced on the 5th that it will conduct inspections against the illegal sale of jelly in establishments handling imported food frequently visited by children and teenagers until the 14th.
This inspection is in response to growing public anxiety due to the detection of cannabis ingredients in imported jelly products favored by children and teenagers.
In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government decided to conduct inspections targeting unmanned sales points and establishments handling imported food around educational institutes. Key inspection focuses include ▲Unreported and unlabeled imported food sales activities ▲Manipulation of consumption dates and manufacturing dates ▲Display and storage of expired products.
Displaying or selling unreported or unlabeled imported food can lead to a penalty of up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won under the Food Sanitation Act. Additionally, the same law allows for fines of up to 5 million won for violations related to hygienic handling of food. Furthermore, according to the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Food, selling food without labels or in violation of labeling methods can result in a prison sentence of up to 3 years or a fine of up to 30 million won.
In addition, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to request the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment to test suspicious imported food with no Korean labels for drug components, caffeine content, and more.
Along with inspections, the Seoul Metropolitan Government also plans to promote correct purchasing methods for overseas direct purchase food and how to report suspicious food. Whistleblowers providing decisive evidence may receive a reward of up to 200 million won after review.
Kim Hyun-joong, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Judicial Police Department, noted, "There is a risk of harm from harmful ingredients if overseas food is consumed without going through the proper import declaration procedure."