Local restaurants violate beef labeling rules: inspectors

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- The government said Wednesday 72 local restaurants have been caught breaking country-of-origin labeling rules for beef that are designed to enhance consumer rights and transparency in the market.

The rules that went into effect last July require all restaurants and catering
services to inform customers about the origin of beef they use. Violators are
subject to imprisonment, fines and administrative actions, the National
Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (NAQS) said.
The state agency under the farm ministry said that over the last month, it
checked 3,633 restaurants in the country that claimed to handle premium hanwoo
beef, and found serious violations in 64 eateries and minor offenses in eight
others.
Serious offenses included selling locally raised milk cows as premium hanwoo beef
and claiming beef came from local cattle when it was imported from the United
States, Australia and New Zealand. Other violations involved intentional measures
to not inform patrons of the meat's origin.
Eateries can be fined up to 30 million won (US$29,081), with serious cases
resulting in jail terms of less than three years for owners.
"All 64 serious offenses have been reported to authorities for criminal
investigation," said an NAQS official.
The tougher beef labeling rules are enforced to better regulate the market and
prevent unlawful profit-seeking by restaurant owners. They are also designed to
alleviate public concern about the safety of U.S. beef.
Seoul and Washington signed a new import standard for U.S. beef last year that
effectively opened the domestic market to most beef cuts, including ribs, bones
and intestines, although the general public remains skeptical about the safety of
U.S. beef.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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