The government has given the required legal notice prior to enacting the "Basic Law on Food Safety." The basic framework of the new legislation involves the operation of a system that would allow authorities to trace the history of food products at each stage from the production or importation of ingredients to final processing and distribution, in order to block the circulation of food products that present a danger to the public. The idea is to make it possible to quickly seize food products that are dangerous and stop their production and sale, and to be able to trace the distribution history by doing so hold producers thoroughly responsible. The legislation will also create a "Food Safety Policy Commission" headed by the prime minister to coordinate the food safety responsibilities that are spread out among various government ministries and agencies, and a dispute mediation body will be created as well.
The country has more than a few fresh memories of serious problems resulting from major incidents involving contaminated food, much like the "bad dumpling affair" that caused a national uproar last year. More than 10,000 people suffered from food poisoning last year, and the trend appears to be one of overwhelming increase in those numbers. Even worse, cases of food poisoning are occurring frequently in industrial kitchens such as school cafeterias. Korea cannot be said to be an advanced country when it comes to food safety.
Food safety relates directly to the lives and health of consumers, the people, and it is also an issue for the livelihoods of those who work in the food industry. When there is a discovery of contaminated food, consumers respond with something close to panic, sending innocent businesses with nothing to do with the food in question into mass bankruptcy. Can that be allowed to be continue?
It is a welcome development to have the government finally initiating a government-wide response to food safety as a whole. There are some 24 related laws here and there on the country's law books and those need to be consolidated into the "Basic Law on Food Safety," while the responsibilities that were subject to territorial bickering between the various ministries and agencies need to be coordinated in a realistic fashion. This is the nation's chance to organize and clean up the related legislation, organization, and system through which food safety is enforced. Safety management "from the farm to the table" is the global trend and an immediate task for the country.
The Hankyoreh, 16 February 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Hurry to Enact New Food Safety Law |
