Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Crack Down on 'Food Service Establishments' Using Non-compliant Groundwater

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[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has cracked down on a large number of food service establishments using groundwater unsuitable for drinking.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police announced on the 13th that from June 17 to 26, they conducted an intensive investigation of 30 establishments using groundwater in Suwon, Hwaseong, Yongin, and Anseong, uncovering a total of 17 violations of the Food Sanitation Act at 14 locations.

The violations included ▲failure to conduct groundwater quality tests within the inspection period (7 cases) ▲violation of hygienic handling standards (7 cases) ▲storage of expired food products (3 cases).

The province plans to refer the detected establishments to the prosecution and request administrative sanctions from the respective city and county offices for those subject to fines.

In a major case, a general restaurant in Anseong City, referred to as A, was caught using groundwater for drinking water and food preparation and washing without conducting the required annual groundwater quality tests since January 2017, leaving the suitability of the groundwater unconfirmed. According to the Enforcement Decree of the Food Sanitation Act, groundwater or other non-tap water used for drinking or food preparation and washing must undergo an annual suitability test by a water quality testing agency.

A consigned catering business in Hwaseong City, referred to as B, was caught failing to store retention food for 3 years and 5 months from the start of business in January 2017 to June 2020. In the case of mass catering establishments, the Food Sanitation Act requires that in the event of food poisoning, one serving of each prepared food must be stored at -18 degrees Celsius or below for at least 144 hours for cause investigation.

A general restaurant in Suwon City, referred to as C, was caught neglecting spoiled food and failing to maintain cleanliness inside the kitchen due to poor cleaning. Another general restaurant in Hwaseong City, referred to as D, was caught storing expired foods such as sauces, oils, and fish cakes together with normal products without labeling them as 'for disposal.'

Under the current Food Sanitation Act, failure to conduct groundwater quality tests within the inspection period, storing expired food without separate labeling, or failing to store retention food for the required period can result in imprisonment for up to 3 years or a fine of up to 30 million KRW. Violations of hygienic handling standards are subject to fines of up to 5 million KRW.

Inchi Kwon, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police, explained, "Since January 2017, a one-strike-out policy has been in place to immediately cancel permits and close establishments caught using unsuitable groundwater for food use, but some businesses have been found not complying with this." He added, "We will expand investigations related to establishments using unsuitable groundwater to prevent food poisoning."

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