Gov`t to provide timely information on harmful food

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- The government said Monday it will set up a public
notification system to give consumers complete and timely information on harmful
food, raising trust in products sold on the local market.
The plan is part of a comprehensive food industry development plan announced in
November. Under the plan, all food suspected of posing health risks will be
listed by name, manufacturer and country of origin on a unified Internet site
(www.foodsafety.go.kr). In addition, the site will show the quantity produced and
the manufacturer's distribution network, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries said.
The Web site will also inform viewers of actions that have been taken to recall
such products and measures that can be taken by ordinary consumers.
"The new approach will allow consumers, the government and manufacturers to share
important information and reduce the time it takes to issue alerts," said Bang
Moon-kyu, head of the ministry's food industry policy bureau.
He said the new system can help insulate the local market from external
developments like the recent melamine and bird flu scares. Both instances caused
a drop in demand for dairy and poultry products.
"When it comes to food, any concern about reliability and safety can result in
serious setbacks for the entire industry," he said, adding that if consumer
confidence grows, such developments can help local goods find greater overseas
demand.
In addition, the government said greater effort will be made to introduce a
scientific process for screening food in catering businesses.
"The number of catering services that are to be checked will go up from 1,000 in
2008 to 5,400 this year, with more samples to be taken to ensure accuracy," Bang
said.
He said in the past, screening was usually determined by the availability of
funds or sudden emergency developments that called for government action.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)