The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea Now Operates “Food QR”
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of the Republic of Korea has announced that it now operates ”Food QR,“ a system that allows consumers to easily check food safety information using their smartphones. According to the Ministry, through the QR code displayed on food products, consumers can access not only the required labeling information but also details on nutritional content, cooking instructions, traceability information, real-time recall information, and health-related data. The Ministry explained that by using ”digital link technology,“ a next-generation barcode technology, it has consolidated both private sector product labeling and government-held safety information in one place.
14 food companies voluntarily participating in this pilot program include Nongshim, Daesang, Dongseo, Lotte Wellfood, Maeil Dairy, and others. A total of 101 products with the Food QR feature will be gradually released starting this month.The core goal of Food QR is to provide information to consumers. Previously, consumers had to visit the Food Safety Information Portal to check if a product was subject to a recall. Now, by scanning a QR code, they can instantly know whether the product is part of a recall. If the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety needs to notify the public about an issue with a product, it can communicate directly through the link associated with the QR code. For products past their ”best before“ date, a pop-up notification will appear when the QR code is scanned, making it easier for consumers to be informed.
However, the use of Food QR is not mandatory at this stage. A Ministry official stated, ”The mandatory implementation of this system is still under discussion with the food industry. Our direction is to print essential information clearly on the product itself, while providing additional details via QR codes. Since we have adopted digital link technology in line with global standards, we plan to expand this system for use abroad in the future.“
Data from Chosun Biz
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