South Korea imports approximately 70% of its food consumption so the safety of imported food is an important priority for the South Korean government and why a strict regulatory framework is in place to safeguard the health of its people. The Ministry of Health & Welfare (MHW) is the authority responsible for food hygiene policies and procedures, while the Korean Food & Drug Administration (KFDA) is responsible for enforcing the related laws and regulations to ensure food products, both domestic and foreign, are safe, labelled correctly with no misleading information or advertising.
A history of the major food laws are as follows: Food Hygiene Law - 1962, Meat & Poultry Products Processing Law - 1962, Agricultural/Fisheries Products Quality Control Law - 1999, Health Functional Food Laws - 2002, Food Safety Basic Law - 2008. The Food Hygiene Law was recently revised in 2009. In regards to formulating regulations, the Korean government considers consumer confidence as an essential goal in a successful food policy.
