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◉ Introduction to Korean Food Contact Material Regulations
The regulatory agency responsible for importing food contact materials in South Korea is the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). South Korea manages end products that come into contact with food by establishing product standards, but does not regulate raw materials for food contact substances or license new substances. Food utensils, containers, and packaging used for sales or business purposes must meet the standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging. It is worth noting that some parameters and requirements in this standard are significantly different from those in the European Union and other regions, which is also a key point that enterprises need to pay attention to in product control. Neglecting them may lead to unqualified products.
◉ Common products
Tableware: knives, forks, bowls, chopsticks, spoons, cups, plates, etc
Kitchenware: storage utensils, washing utensils, conditioning utensils, cooking utensils, etc
Food packaging containers: paper containers, metal containers, glass containers, plastic containers, plastic packaging bags/films, etc
Kitchen appliances: gas stove, range hood, oven, microwave, disinfection cabinet, dishwasher, juicer, blender, coffee machine, electric kettle, rice cooker, induction cooker, etc
Children's products: baby bottles, pacifiers, baby drinking cups, etc
◉ Regulatory requirements
The Korean "Standards and Specifications for Food Utensils, Containers, and Packaging" have specific requirements for different food contact materials such as ceramics, glass, enamel, paper, and metal. Some common material requirements are shown in the table below.
|
Product |
Project |
Test Method |
Regulatory requirements |
|
Synthetic resin/glass paper/rubber/paper/starch based products |
color transfer |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-1,IV.2-2,IV.2-3,IV.2-4 |
≤100mg/kg |
| synthetic resin |
Lead migration amount |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-1 |
≤1mg/L |
|
color transfer |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-15 |
negative |
|
| Potassium permanganate consumption |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-7 |
≤10mg/L |
|
| paper |
Lead migration amount |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-1 |
≤1mg/L |
|
Formaldehyde migration amount |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-27 |
≤4mg/L |
|
|
fluorescent whitening agent |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-53 |
negative |
|
|
Arsenic migration amount (calculated as As2O3) |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-9 |
≤0.1mg/L |
|
|
Polychlorinated biphenyls |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-52 |
≤5mg/kg |
|
| metal |
Lead migration amount |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-1 |
≤0.4mg/L |
|
Cadmium migration amount |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-2 |
≤0.1mg/L |
|
|
Migration amount of hexavalent chromium |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-4 |
≤0.1mg/L |
|
|
Nickel migration amount |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-54 |
≤0.1mg/L |
|
|
Arsenic migration amount (calculated as As2O3) |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-9 |
≤0.2mg/L |
|
|
Ceramics, glass, enamel |
Lead migration amount |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-1 |
According to different product parameters and usage condition limits |
|
Cadmium migration amount |
Standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging (Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (2021) IV.2-2 |
According to different product parameters and usage condition limits |
The standards and specifications for food utensils, containers, and packaging stipulate that the total content of lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium in synthetic resins (plastics), regenerated cellulose, paper, and starch shall not exceed 100mg/kg.
◉ Qualification assessment procedure
The safety control measures for the entire process of importing food contact materials from import to distribution mainly include: pre confirmation registration system, spot checks and inspections at the import and circulation stages, and precision inspections.
(1) Pre confirmation registration system
The pre confirmation registration system was implemented by MFDS on October 10, 2003, in order to improve the efficiency of the imported food inspection system and strengthen the management of imported food through the revision of the "Implementation Rules of the Food Hygiene Law" (Order No. 254 of the Ministry of Health and Welfare on August 18, 2003). The main content of this measure is for South Korea to confirm whether the food contact materials manufactured/processed by the exporting country's factories comply with the provisions of South Korea's Food Hygiene Act through pre inspection methods. The on-site investigation will mainly confirm whether the enterprise meets the hygiene and quality management standards stipulated by HACCP; In terms of expenses, the applying company is required to pay an application fee of approximately $30 and bear the related travel expenses for the on-site investigation by the South Korean side; Any food contact materials that have been confirmed in advance are exempt from precision inspection when imported, and only need to submit relevant compliance written materials to MFDS for review, thereby reducing customs clearance procedures, improving clearance speed, and providing convenience for import declarants.
(2) Random inspection and testing of import and circulation processes
The specific types of spot checks and inspections in the import and circulation processes include document inspection, appearance inspection, laboratory inspection, and random sampling inspection. South Korea conducts sensory inspection on batches of imported food contact materials, with an average of about 20% of imported food contact materials being sampled and sent to the laboratory for testing each year. Additionally, first-time imported food contact materials generally require full item inspection in accordance with the relevant requirements of the Food Hygiene Law. If the historical inspection record of the imported food contact material is good, each food and drug safety regional office will reduce the sampling ratio appropriately according to the product risk, or adopt a verification release method.
(3) Precision inspection
The so-called precision inspection refers to the measures taken by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to conduct batch inspections on relevant products within a certain period of time. If the historical inspection records of imported products are poor, each food and drug safety regional office will strengthen import supervision through precision inspection. MFDS will adopt different precision inspection ratios (1% -100%) based on the degree of harm and proportion of unqualified cases of imported goods. For production enterprises of unqualified imported food contact materials, each food and drug safety regional office will conduct a one-year batch inspection on similar food contact materials exported to South Korea, which will also affect other companies producing similar food contact materials. For products detected as not meeting regulatory requirements, temporary import bans will be implemented until the cause is identified and improvement measures are taken.
◉ Compliance Services
Food contact products exported to South Korea must comply with the standards and specifications for utensils, containers, and packaging issued by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of South Korea. In the import process, a Certificate of Laboratory Testing must be provided in accordance with MFDS requirements, which should reflect the sampling time, location, and transportation information of the samples.
Jiayu Testing has a professional testing technology team, equipped with advanced instruments and equipment, proficient in various regulatory standards, and specializes in providing Korean food contact material testing services for various food contact materials to ensure that your products meet regulatory requirements. Welcome to contact us at 400-9269-886!
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