Packaged Sundae Boiled in Fish Cake Broth Sparks Hygiene Controversy at Local Festival

Yeonje-gu: "Administrative Action Planned"

Packaged sundae is soaked in fish cake broth. Thread

A scene in which a vendor at a local festival in Yeonje-gu, Busan boiled sundae without removing the plastic packaging directly in fish cake broth has sparked a hygiene controversy.

According to Yonhap News on April 6, footage spread across social media platforms showing a stall at the 'Yeonje Gobun Fantasy' festival on April 4 boiling sundae, still in its plastic packaging, directly in fish cake broth. The same vendor also steamed sundae in a steamer without removing the plastic.

Controversial Packaged Sundae. Thread.

It is generally known that one of the accepted cooking methods for commercially packaged sundae is to heat it in boiling water while still sealed in the bag, as permitted by manufacturers. However, there has been growing criticism that placing the packaged sundae directly into broth, which is served to an unspecified number of people, and heating it together is inappropriate from a hygiene perspective. Some online users have also expressed concerns that endocrine disruptors and microplastics released during the heating process could have harmful effects on human health.

As the controversy escalated, Yeonje-gu immediately expelled the problematic vendor from the festival site. An official from Yeonje-gu told Yonhap News, "On the last day of the festival, April 5, the event proceeded without the vendor in question," adding, "A food poisoning monitoring team was active during the festival, but due to higher-than-usual crowds, we failed to identify the issue in time." The official also stated, "We plan to take administrative action regarding the unsanitary food preparation."

Meanwhile, this is not the first time a local festival has faced a hygiene controversy. In February, during the Taebaeksan Snow Festival in Gangwon Province, a vendor was criticized after a video spread of them defrosting a bottle of Makgeolli in fish cake broth. That vendor's business was also immediately suspended at the time.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.