12 April 2018
Purpose
The purpose of this Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to remind industry that registrations of foreign food facilities exporting to the Republic of Korea (Korea) must be renewed every two years.
Key Points
- Food facilities involved in exporting processed food; plant products, including grains and horticultural products; food additives; and food packages, containers and equipment to the Republic of Korea (Korea) must be renewed every two years.
- A foreign food facility as described in the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management for grains means grain storage, grain packaging (registered export establishment). For processed products such as breakfast cereals such as oat bran, maize grits, flour, barley malted, it includes processing, manufacturing, storing and packaging facilities. For fresh fruits and vegetables it includes growers, packaging and treatment facilities (registered export establishments).
- Food facilities can re-apply online using the MFDS online registration system to renew their registration within 30 days of the registration expiry date.
- To apply, navigate to the MFDS online registration system homepage—English can be selected from the top right corner of the page. Once the webpage is in English, hover the cursor on ‘Petition Application’ and then click on ‘Information and Apply.’ The Information and Apply webpage will display a table with options for registering, updating or renewing registration.
- Food facilities can also check their current registration details by following the instructions above, but click on ‘Foreign Manufactures Views’ instead of ‘Information and Apply.’
Background
Industry Advice Notice (IAN) 2016-16 advised that Korea’s Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management (the Act) came into effect on 4 February 2016, with a grace period until 3 August 2016 for foreign food facilities to register their details with Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).
The Act requires foreign food establishments that produce, manufacture, process, treat and/or store food and plant products—including grains and fresh fruit and vegetables for human consumption—intended for export to Korea are required to complete a web-based registration process.
Food facility responsibilities
The final processor of food products and packers of plant products must ensure that they are registered by MFDS as a foreign food facility prior to preparing goods for export to Korea.
Contact information
If you require further information, please contact the Grain and Seed Export Program on 02 6272 3229 or email the Grain Export Program or the Horticulture Exports Program.
David Ironside
Assistant Secretary
Plant Export Operations