Notifications for Republic of Korea (388 notifications)

The Republic of Korea is proposing to amend the "Standards and Specifications for the Food Additives". 1) The standards for enzyme preparations are established as follows: - The Manufacturing standards for immobilized enzymes are newly established;  - The preservation and distribution standards for enzymes is added; - The general use level for enzymes is newly established. 2) The standard for the use of methyl cellulose is revised:      Use less than 2% in food  →  The usage of a food additive should be limited to a minimum amount that is required to achieve its physical, nutritive, and other technical effects.  3) Synonyms for the following four synthetic flavouring substances are added:      Fenchol, Geranyl acetone, 5-Methyl-2-hept-4-one, (E,Z)-3,6-Nonadien-1-ol. 4) The analytical methods for the following ten food additives are revised:      (6S)-5-Methyltetrahydrofolic Acid, Glucosamine Salt; Propyl Gallate; Calcium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate; Sodium Alginate; Sodium Aluminium Phosphate, Basic; Sodium Phosphate, Basic; Magnesium Phosphate, Basic; Sodium Phosphate, Monobasic; Ammonium Phosphate, Monobasic; Tea Extract.

The Republic of Korea is proposing to amend the "Standards and Specifications for Food Utensils, Containers and Packages". 1) The standards for using of recycled synthetic resins are revised; 2) The standards and specifications of poly(butylene adipate terephthalate) (PBAT) synthetic resin are newly established; 3) The test methods or the wordings are revised.

The proposed amendments seek to: 1. Revise the preservation and distribution standards: - Expand the type of frozen products that can be distributed after thawing; - Allow refrigerated meat to be temporarily frozen for mincing; - Allow the use of room temperature and refrigerated products as components of frozen meal kit; 2. Revise the definition of food type: - Expand the product type of Nutritional formulas for elderly and patients; - Revise the definition of meal kit containing meat.

Clarifying the case to modify location information of registered foreign food facilities and foreign establishments (referred to Articles 2 and 13 of the Enforcement rule of the Special Act) as follows:when the name of administrative district or administrative district system where the food facilities or establishments are located has changed or has been restructured (no physical relocation of facilities or establishments has been made).

The proposed amendments seek to: 1. Add the subject to submit data; 2. Add follow-up action of reassessment result; 3. Clarify reassessment method and determination standards; 4. Revise ‘Sell by date’ to ‘Use by date’.

The proposed amendments seek to: 1. Revise warning notice for intake in ‘Plants containing chlorophyll’, ‘Spirulina’, ‘Propolis extracts’, ‘Edible oil containing gamma-linolenic acid’, ‘Psyllium husk dietary fiber’, ‘polydextrose’,  and ‘Red yeast rice’; 2. Revise daily intake amount of ‘Spirulina’, ‘Propolis extracts’ and ‘Psyllium husk dietary fiber’; 3. Revise specification of lead in ‘Spirulina’ and ‘Propolis extracts’; 4. Delete health claim in ‘Spirulina’; 5. Add health claim in ‘Garlic’; 6. Add ‘Coleus forskohlii extract’ to the functional ingredients list.

The proposed amendments seek to: 1. Expand the range of temporary thawing in frozen products; 2. Revise the specification in Royal jellies; 3. Revise and clarify the target food products to apply the limit of mycotoxin; 4. Revise the lists of food ingredients in [Annex 1] and  [Annex 2]; 5. Revise and establish the maximum residual limits of pesticides in agricultural products [120 pesticides including Deltamethrin]; 6. Revise and establish the maximum residual limits of veterinary drugs in food; 7. Revise and establish the maximum residual limits in livestock and fishery products [three pesticides including Indoxacarb]; 8. Revise and establish the General Test Methods; 9. Revise several terms for clarification and reflect the amendment to other regulations, etc.

The proposed amendments seek to: 1. Establish the limit of fumonisin in Sunsik(dry grain food); 2. Expand the target substances to manage the standards of diarrhetic shellfish poisons; 3. Revise the maximum residual limits of pesticides in agricultural products [eight pesticides including Cypermethrin].

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) in the Republic of Korea, has newly added a host plant (Carya illinoinensis seeds for sowing) of Xylella fastidiosa, one of the prohibited quarantine pests of the Republic of Korea, which is based on the result of a Pest Risk Analysis (PRA).The import of relevant parts of host plants and the vectors associated with Xylella fastidiosa from the regions will be prohibited from the consignments with Phytosanitary Certificate, shipped on and after 28 June 2022.Please find the attachment for more details of host plants, the vectors and distributed areas.

The amendments reflect matters relating to a change to feed name in accordance with MAFRA notification 2021-327 into the standards for animal drug usage by type and clarify that the standards for crude protein content of fiber mixed feed shall be based on the content of dry matter.

The amendments restrict the content of the following substances as excessive content of copper and zinc substances included in feed for pigs is excreted through animal manure making it difficult to be composted, and the phosphorus substance in feed for pigs and fowls along with animal manure enter soils and streams contributing to eutrophication. Animal species concerned: pigs, chickens and ducks.

The amendments restrict the content of crude protein in mixed feed for animals with a view to reducing surplus nitrogen emissions through animal manure due to surplus supply of proteins included in feed. Animal species concerned: pigs, layers, broilers, ducks, beef cattle, dairy cattle and cattle fiber mixed feed.

Until now, fishery products are classified and controlled as the Same Imported Product from the Same Company based on the fact that their country of origin, the name of the product and the exporter are the same. With the amendment, the foreign food facility will be added as a requirement to be falling under the Same Imported Product from the Same Company.The types of business will be specifically classified for the registration of the foreign food facilities of agricultural and fishery products as following:1.    Type of business for agricultural products:      -  current: packaging agricultural products;      -  amended: farm, farm mixed facility, collection point;2.    Type of business for fishery products:      -  current: manufacturing/processing fishery products (including vessels and aquaculture);      -  amended: manufacturing/processing fishery products, vessels, aquaculture.

The proposed amendments seek to: 1. Clarify the requirements of food ingredients; 2. Revise the specification of capsules; 3. Revise the specification of pH in ices; 4. Revise several terms for clarification.

Import Sanitation Assessment will be expanded to the animal products: edible meat, raw milk, eggs and other foods containing these type of products which are prescribed by the Presidential Decree.   * Targets: processed animal products(processed meat containing  products and processed egg containing products), edible meat(from ostrich), and edible eggs(from goose and turkey). * Exception: Despite the revision of the Act, livestock products from countries where MFDS import sanitation assessment has been completed will continue to allow for import to Korea without further assessment.

The Republic of Korea is proposing to amend the "Standards and Specifications for the Food Additives": 1) The standards and specifications of Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose who is used for the production of food supplements dissolved in intestines are newly established; 2) The specifications of Steviol Glycoside and Enzymatically Modified Stevia are revised:  Rebaudioside E, M, N and O are added in the group of compounds for assay; 3) The standards for the use of Calcium Silicate are revised to use it for the production of food supplements; 4) 11 amino acids such as following are allowed to be used in baby and infant foods: L-alanine, L-aspartic acid, L-cysteine hydrochloride, L-glutamic acid, L-glutamine, L‑glycine, L-histidine hydrochloride, L-lysine, L-lysine hydrochloride, L-proline, L‑serine; 5) The functional classes recognized in CODEX for the following 24 food additives are added: Acetic acid, DL- Alanine, Arabic gum, Calcium acetate, Calcium carbonate, Calcium chloride, Calcium sulfate, Carnauba wax, Crude magnesium chloride (sea water), Diacetyltartaric acid and fatty acid esters of glycerol, Food starch modified, Glacial acetic acid, Glycerin esters of fatty acids, Glucono-δ-lactone, Guar gum, Lecithin, Karaya gum, Locust bean gum, Magnesium chloride, Magnesium sulfate, Methyl ethyl cellulose, Polyglycerol esters of fatty acid, Potassium lactate, Vitamin C; 6) The analytical methods for the following nine food additives are revised: Calcium phosphate dibasic, Calcium phosphate monobasic, Ferric phosphate, Ferric pyrophosphate, α-Glalctosidase, Milk clotting enzyme, Oxygen, Polyvinyl acetate, Potassium glycerophosphate.

The Republic of Korea is proposing to amend the "Standards and Specifications for the Food Additives": 1) The standards for the use of nicotinic acid are revised. Nicotinic acid should be used only for Foods for particular nutritional uses, Foods for particular medical purpose, Food supplements and Nutrition-enriched wheat flour; 2) 22 active and inert ingredients for use in food-contact surface sanitizing solutions are deleted in the list: Acetic acid, chloro-, sodium salt, reaction products with 4,5-dihydro-2-undecyl-1H-imidazole-1-ethanol and sodium hydroxide; Benzenesulfonic acid, dodecyl-, sodium salt; Boric acid, sodium salt; Butanedioic acid, sulfo-, 1,4-dioctyl ester, sodium salt;  n-Carboxylic acids (C6-C12) [consisting of a mixture of not less than 56% octanoic acid and not less than 40% decanoic acid]; Chloromelamine (1,3,5-Triazine, N,N',N"-trichloro-2,4,6-triamino-); 3-Cyclohexene-1-methanol, α,α,4-trimethyl-; Fatty acids, coco, potassium salts; Fatty acids, tall-oil, sulfonated, sodium salts; Hydriodic acid; Lithium hypochlorite; Methylene blue; Nonanoic acid; Phenol, 4-(1,1-dimethyl-propyl)-; 9-Octadecenoic acid(9Z)-, sulfonated; 9-Octadecenoic acid(9Z)-, sulfonated, sodium salts; Oxychloro species; 2,4-Pentanediol, 2-methyl; Ethanol, 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)-; Phenol, 4-chloro-2-(phenylmethyl)-; Phenylphenol ([1,1'-Biphenyl]-2-ol); Silver ions resulting from the use of electrolytically -generated silver ions stabilized in citric acid as silver dihydrogen citrate (does not include metallic silver).

The proposed amendments seek to add specifications of saw palmetto fruit extracts.

The main amendments made on functional foods labelling are as follows:1) products that contain or may contain food allergen; 2) functional ingredients in probiotics products.

The proposed amendments seek to: 1. Expand the range of raw materials for 'Proteins'; 2. Add health claim for 'Ginseng'; 3. Delete 'Aloe whole leaves' from the functional ingredients list; 4. Revise testing method of Total polyphenol.