On March 8, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of Korea (MFDS) issued Notice No. 2019-16, amending some contents of the Food Code, the main contents of which are as follows:
1. Revise the definition and production and processing standards of all kinds of food.
A. Revising the production and processing standards of animal oils and fats;
B. To make starch and other starchy materials available in dextrin production, the definition of food category should be revised.
C. To make honey and other sugars available as raw materials for sugar processing products, the definition of food category was revised.
D. In order to use oak chips as spices in the production of fermented vinegar, the production and processing standards of oak chips were revised.
E. Delete the standard of moisture content in compound condiments. Solid products with moisture content more than 8% can be classified into other food categories even if they exceed sauces specifications, and add the standard of moisture content in the definition of food categories.
F. To incorporate the products flavored or simply heated with ribs into the category of rib processed products, the definition of food category was revised.
2. Revise the specifications of methanol in distilled liquor.
3. Revise the standard of preservation and circulation: specify the scope of food suitable for general refrigeration and refrigeration temperature; specify the scope of ready-to-eat convenience food provided to consumers in a short time.
4. Revise the standards for the use of restricted raw materials in food.
5. Catalogue of food raw materials: three kinds of aquatic products, Mytilus galloprovincialis, Semisulcospira gottschei and Austinogia wuhsienweni, were added to the catalogue of animal raw materials available for food; seven kinds of microorganisms, such as Brevibacum linens, were added to the restricted raw materials used in food, and the restrictive use conditions of Zymomonas mobilis were extended to wine and fructan production; revise the alias of soybean and the scientific name of Salvia miltiorrhiza.
6. Revise the object of application of veterinary drug residue limit standard: specify the name of "non-detectable substance in food" and the definition of residue. Five veterinary drugs, such as gentian violet, were added to substances that could not be detected in food.
7. Revise the residue limit standard of veterinary drugs in food: revise the residue limit standard of 13 veterinary drugs such as dihydrostreptomycin; delete the current three veterinary drug residue limit standards with safety problems (norfloxacin, ofloxacin, pefloxacin).
8. Revise the contents of general test methods: revise the method of making experimental solution for microbial test of butter and ice cream; use molecular biology test method in Salmonella test of liquid products; expand and modify the detection methods of multiple pesticides in agricultural products and antimicrobial agents in livestock products; according to the limits of veterinary drugs in food Quantitative modification, modification of 8 related detection methods; modification of Urushiol confirmation test method in food; increase of 18 related qualitative and quantitative test methods such as VCO01981-5 (corn) of recognized GM food.
9. To reflect the amendments of other laws and regulations, the relevant terms and sentences should be adjusted: the application scope of the new standard specifications of tar pigments which are not allowed to be used; the applicable objects of foreign body specifications should be specified clearly; the test method items which are not specified in vegetable oils and fats should be deleted; and the use standard of preservatives such as benzoic acid should be set to reflect the relevant provisions of the Code of Food Additives on mayonnaise; revise the relevant sentences in the production of egg processed products; revise the relevant terms of "egg".
