Researcher says China is sending more inedible food

Korea imported nine times as much Chinese food by volume last year as it did in 1995, the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs said yesterday. At the same time, the amount of inedible or unsuitable food arriving here has also grown.
Chung Gi-hye, a researcher with the institute, a government-run think tank, said the amount of unhealthy Chinese food products shipped here recently has climbed quickly, and the government should adopt emergency measures in response.
“The government needs to step up its investigation into shipments of Chinese food, adopting more sophisticated standards for the items,” she said.
The portion of Chinese-made food products in Korea jumped to 29 percent of the market in 2005 from less than 4 percent in 1995, when the World Trade Organization was launched.
According to the institute, part of Korea’s Health Ministry, the number of cases involving inedible food grew from 90 in 1995 to more than 320 in 2005.
That increase is less, on a percentage basis, than the total increase in food imported here.
A total of 2,443 shipments of Chinese food were not allowed to enter Korea between 1995 and June of last year, the institute said.
An excessive level of germs, including colon bacillus, was the top reason, in 22 percent of the cases, the institute said. Food additive violations were found another 14 percent of the time. Too many preservatives were found in 9 percent of the cases.

By Seo Ji-eun Staff Writer [spring@joongang.co.kr]