Confection makers eyed in evaluation

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Confection makers eyed in evaluation

With candy consumption expected to rise with Valentine’s Day around the corner, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety yesterday announced the results of a nationwide inspection of candy and chocolate manufacturers.

The evaluation checked 122 manufacturers of sweets from Jan. 20 to Jan. 28. “Among the 122 sweets manufacturers, 24 of them, including some famous large corporations, were found to have violated regulations,” the ministry said in a statement.

One factory under Amore Pacific, located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, falsely marked the date of manufacture as Jan. 22 for 20 products actually produced on Jan. 21.

The ministry seized those 20 items - about 80 kilograms (176 pounds) worth of perishables - and banned their distribution. They also reported the case to the local government, which will be responsible for punitive action. The same measure applies to manufacturers that used expired materials in their products or illegally extended the expiration dates of their products.

In another instance, a chocolate factory in Yongsan District, central Seoul, run by Hanwha Hotel and Resorts’ catering business headquarters, didn’t carry out mandatory checks on prohibited additives before distribution. Inspectors requested that the local government enforce a suspension on the factory’s operations.

Some other manufacturers will be required to pay fines for violating regulations. A factory under Paris Croissant in Wonju, Gangwon, was charged for producing four kinds of products differently than their initial manufacturing report.

“The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety make multilateral efforts to improve the safety and hygiene of the products primarily consumed by children,” a ministry official said. “We are also requesting that related industries more strictly enforce safety requirements for their products.”

BY JEONG JONG-MOON AND KIM BONG-MOON [bongmoon@joongang.co.kr]
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