Recently, the nutritional content of chicken breast sausages, which were promoted to have sold more than 10 million on famous sites, was significantly different from what was written on the product, and sales were completely prohibited.
This is because a YouTuber who produces food-related content commissioned a test institution to analyze the nutritional content directly, and found that there were eight times more carbohydrates, three to four times more sugars, fat, and saturated fat, and less protein.
The YouTuber's suspicion led to a number of media reports, and when it became controversial, the sales site announced the suspension of the sale in a notice saying, "There was a lack of management supervision." The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety later announced that the product will be subject to administrative measures in violation of the nutrition labeling regulations.
Nutritional ingredients displayed on processed food packages are essential purchase information not only for ordinary consumers, but also for consumers who are on a diet or who have to cover their food, such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia patients. The government is continuously expanding the number of products subject to nutrition labeling to promote national health.
This is not the first time that the controversy over nutrition labeling has occurred.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety collected 879 products on the market in 2021 and conducted a nutrition labelling survey, and 128 products were outside the tolerance range, accounting for 15% of the total. The cholesterol content of some products was 170 times different, and many products were tens of times different. Products that were declared unfit included a number of products from famous conglomerates.
For this reason, some online say that it is hard to believe the display of nutritional information on processed foods. The rate of nonconformity may not be relatively high, but I suspect that the nutritional content of the food I enjoy is inflated.
Nutritional labeling for processed foods was introduced in 1996. There are nine nutritional ingredients that must be displayed, including calories, carbohydrates, and fat. Vitamins and minerals can be additionally marked by the company. Not all processed foods are applicable, but only to foods subject to mandatory labeling. This does not apply to instant food or food used as raw materials.
Processed food manufacturers and importers conduct their own tests or request an inspection agency certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to analyze the products they want to sell if they are subject to mandatory nutrition labeling. So it's not the way that administrative agencies come forward and analyze it. The analysis follows the method stipulated in the government's "food exhibition" or various international authorized test laws, and the analysis results can be marked and sold in a way that is visible on the product packaging according to the relevant regulations.
However, in the process, the tolerance range set by the government must be observed. This ensures that there is no more than 20% difference between the actual measurement value and the value indicated on the product. The recommended nutritional content should be over the "lower limit," and harmful ingredients should not be over the "upper limit."
The reason why the government has such a tolerance range is that a certain amount of errors in nutritional content can occur due to supply and demand of food ingredients, seasonal factors, and minor differences in product processes.
Instead, the government and local governments collect some of the products on the market on a regular or random basis and inspect them at random. If the nutritional content on the product is different from that confirmed by the government and local governments, a fine of 200,000 won to 3 million won can be imposed for violating the labeling standard, and if not marked, an administrative disposition of up to 10 days of business suspension can be imposed.
Therefore, depending on the company, we conduct regular inspections on our own and try to maintain the quality of the product consistent. As the test costs a lot, companies that can afford it rather than small companies usually manage nutrition labeling. The company is not legally obligated to update the nutritional content of the product on sale from time to time.
In the process, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which is in charge, checks whether the nutrition information on the product is being marked well as prescribed.
However, the government does not even verify whether the nutritional information is correct. In this regard, it can be said that the nutrition labeling of processed foods is left to the conscience of the company.
The reason why the government chose the company's self-quality survey method is that it is not possible to compare and analyze the nutritional content of processed foods sold on the market. If you do so, there will be criticism that it will be a waste of administrative power.
The part where the company's conscience is directly involved is in the delivery of "samples" used for nutritional testing. The inspection agency only analyzes the samples sent by the company and cannot even determine the appropriateness of the samples. In general, companies should provide samples in the form of finished products such as those sold on the market, and we cannot rule out the possibility that products (samples) with better nutritional manipulation will be handed over in the process.
As a former food industry worker claims, even if there is such a case, it is not easy to find out whether the sample is actually manipulated. Even if there is a clear difference between the nutritional value and the actual test value, as in the case of chicken breast sausage mentioned at the beginning, it is difficult to prove whether it was caused by a "mistake" or intentionally deceived.
We don't have a system to verify sample manipulation, so we don't know how many cases are involved. Since 2016, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has counted cases caught exceeding the tolerance range through an annual nutrition labeling survey, but it has not been confirmed whether they were fabricated. There are around 10% of cases of violating the nutrition labeling standards every year.
Experts advise consumers who value health to carefully examine the nutritional information of processed foods because they are still reliable. In other words, we should not distrust the nutrition labeling system itself due to concerns about the possibility of some abuse. He added that if a suspicious situation is found, you can call 1399 (no country code, free) to report illegal or defective food.
Writer: Yeyoung Jeon
(Picture from Unsplash)
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