As the new rice harvest approaches, a special crackdown on rice mislabeling will be implemented to prevent the sale of old rice as new and the mixing of new and old grains.
On September 21, the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service announced that it will conduct a 64-day special inspection on grain labeling from September 28 to November 30. This initiative aims to focus on monitoring rice mislabeling practices during the peak shipping period for this year's harvest.
The crackdown will target rice processing facilities, including rice processing complexes (RPCs) and milling factories, as well as rice retailers, online sellers, and importers of rice for cooking.
The agency will primarily check whether the labeling of rice includes accurate information on production year, milling date, origin, and variety. It will also monitor for the mixing of new and old rice or domestic and foreign rice.
Additionally, the agency will monitor businesses selling rice at prices significantly lower than market rates. For rice suspected of being mislabeled, scientific methods such as DNA analysis will be employed.
Mandatory labeling requirements for rice include item and weight, the address and contact information of the producer or processor, origin, variety, production year, milling date, and grade.
Businesses found in violation will face criminal penalties under the Grain Management Act. Those who mislabel rice may face up to three years in prison or fines of up to five times the market value of the mislabeled rice. Failure to label may result in fines of up to 2 million won.
Kim Cheol, head of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, stated, "The likelihood of rice mislabeling practices increases during the new rice shipping period. We urge anyone who suspects mislabeling to report it to the mislabeling reporting center or through our website."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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