The government will conduct a special inspection from March 10 to 28 to eradicate violations of the country of origin labeling of imported seafood. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced that it would conduct joint inspections with the private sector for more than 1,500 import seafood handling companies to secure consumer trust.
This special inspection will focus on imported seafood with a high number of violations or a large import volume. The inspection targets include the top three imported items: frozen yellow croaker (19,266 tons), frozen Pacific saury (18,611 tons), and frozen blue crab (11,067 tons). It will also focus on three items frequently associated with false labeling cases: live octopus (26 cases), live sea bream (20 cases), and live scallop (10 cases). Recently, increased imports of female snow crab and tilapia have also been included in the special inspection.
The inspection will be carried out by a ‘private-public joint inspection team’ consisting of investigation officers from the National Fishery Products Quality Management Service and honorary monitors. The government has warned of severe penalties for companies found guilty of false labeling to eradicate such practices.
Kang Do-hyung, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, emphasized, “False labeling of origin undermines public trust in the seafood distribution market. Through systematic inspections based on statistics, we plan to protect honest companies and take strict measures against violators.”
This special inspection raises attention to whether violations of origin labeling will decrease and whether consumers will be able to purchase seafood with more peace of mind.