Coffee shops cited by health officials

Eighteen coffee shops in Seoul, including some branches of The Coffee Bean and Hollys Coffee, were found to have violated food safety regulations, the Korea Food and Drug Administration said yesterday.

Violations include using ingredients that have passed their expiration date and using ingredients which lack proper food labeling.

The Korea FDA said that it conducted a food safety check on 70 coffee shops in Korea and found the 18 to have violated safety rules. It plans to request administrative measures against the shops.

Six branches of The Coffee Bean were included in this list, five of which sold a grapefruit juice that did not include proper Korean labels. Out of the three Tom N Toms Coffee shops included, one branch in Gangnam District was found to have stored ingredients in an “unsanitary” room which had spiderwebs and dust.

Two Hollys Coffee branches allegedly violated safety regulations. One branch in Songpa was cited for using expired Nesquik mix. The other Hollys Coffee branch in Jung District was found by the FDA to have used a lemon powder mix that lacked proper food labeling.

By Cho Jae-eun [jainnie@joongang.co.kr]