Seo-gu Designates Gwangju Shinsegae Food Store as First Food Safety Zone

Over 80 Percent of B1 Food Store Businesses Receive Hygiene Ratings

On September 29, Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeonnam designated the B1 Food Store at Gwangju Shinsegae as the district’s first Food Safety Zone and delivered the certificate and nameplate.

The Food Safety Zone system is implemented in commercial or tourist areas with a high concentration of restaurants or heavy foot traffic, designating and managing zones where a certain proportion of businesses have received hygiene ratings from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Its purpose is to raise hygiene standards for the entire area, thereby preventing food poisoning, rather than just for individual establishments.

Kim Ikang, mayor of Seo District, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeonnam, held a 'Food Safety Zone Designation Certificate Presentation Ceremony' on the 29th at Gwangju Shinsegae with Lee Donghun, CEO of Gwangju Shinsegae. Provided by Seo District, Gwangju, Jeonnam

Gwangju Shinsegae, adjacent to the Gwangju General Bus Terminal, is a popular destination for both residents and visitors from the Honam region. Seo-gu stated that after reviewing the hygiene management levels and the hygiene rating status of the food store, over 80 percent of businesses in the target area had received hygiene ratings from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, thus meeting the requirements for designation.

Seo-gu plans to continue supporting voluntary hygiene management by the stores and to conduct on-site guidance and inspections even after the designation. The district also intends to increase the number of businesses participating in the hygiene rating system and to further expand the Food Safety Zone initiative.

Kim Ikang, Mayor of Seo-gu, said, “The designation of Seo-gu’s first Food Safety Zone is a meaningful first step toward leading a safe food culture. We will do our utmost to provide administrative support to expand Food Safety Zones so that the community and businesses can together establish a win-win model that enhances the value of safety.”

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