[ Press Release, Jun 20, 2020 / unofficial translation ] Food Safety Standard to be adjusted for the future dietary paradigm - Phase II (2020-2024) Framework Plan for Food Standards and Specifications - □ The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (Minister: Lee, Eui-Kyung) intends to establish the Phase II Framework Plan for Food Standards and Specifications for the next 5 years between 2020 and 2024. The purpose of this plan is to ensure people-centered food safety and to react promptly to the evolving food industry technologies and ever-changing dietary habits. ○ Phase I’s (2015-2019) main agenda included reassessing the standards and specifications of unintended contaminants, pesticides, and additives contained in food products. - Phase II plan intends to develop the food standards and specifications that can be utilized in food safety management. It also aims to provide the food standards and specifications that are adaptive to the changing food consumption trend (e.g., demographic change, emphasis on healthy and convenient lifestyle and ethical consumption) as well as food industrial technology and distribution environments. ○ The main agenda are ▲ enhancement of food safety management for demographic and environmental changes ▲standards and specifications management in accordance with the paradigm shift in the food industry and exponential growth of technology ▲ the reassessment and advancement of standards and specifications. □ Enhancement of food safety management for demographic and environmental changes ○ Change in food consumption pattern caused by elderly and single-household populations - The category of Foods for special medical purposes have been newly created to support the development and supply of dietary product tailored to the elderly and patients. - A “dietary management food” category was created to incorporate diabetes, chronic renal and gastrointestinal disease patients’ dietary management. The relevant nutritional and hygienic standards are prepared. - Analyze the hazard factors by food service sector and prepared food safety management plan that reflects the sectoral characteristics. ○ Increase of health risk factors such as microplastic contamination and extreme weather events - Microplastic monitoring and human exposure assessment testing of food using seafood and sea salt as main ingredients - Establishment of standards for contaminants such as toxic microorganisms (e.g. vibrio vulnificus) and acrylamide - Set recycling standards for utensils, containers and packaging to enable the sustainable management of food safety through regeneration and recycling □ Standards and specifications management in accordance with structural changes in the food industry and exponential growth of technology ○ Emergence and increasing developments of new food types - Establish basis for the evaluation of the soundness and safety of alternative proteins, with the advent of soy meat and cultured meat. - Develop safety assessment criteria for bio food additives* in the light of increased use of economical and technology intensive biotechnologies in the production of various food ingredients. * Food additives (enzymes and spices) using cutting-edge technologies such as biotechnologies ○ Changing food ingredients consumption and distribution pattern followed by the advancement and compartmentalization of the food industry - Establish management standards for food-borne pathogens as the import and distribution of semi-processed food has increased - Set standards for the use of food additives necessary for the maintenance of hygiene and quality of prepared agricultural products as eating out has become a trend among double-income families and single households ◇ Reassessment and advancement of standards and specifications. ○ Reassessment of standards and specifications to reflect pollution and changes in dietary patterns - Continuous reassessment of standards and specifications of food ingredients, functional ingredients, food additives, container, packaging, contaminants, and microorganism according to environmental pollution and dietary habit change ○ Advancement of safety management in livestock production □ The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety shall promote the “Phase II Framework Plan for Food Standards and Specifications” without hindrance to advance food safety standards, at the same time improving regulations to increase competitiveness in the food industry and to enhance human-centered food management. - Adoption of Positive List System (PLS) in livestock for the advancement of residue standard management of livestock Pleased find the attached file for more information.