Compliance requirements for food additives in Korea

In order to enable relevant enterprises to have a deeper understanding of the differences in food additive regulation in different countries/regions, this issue introduces the compliance requirements for food additives in Korea.

I. Regulation of food additives in Korea

The definition of food additives in Korea is as follows: "Food additives" are substances that are used in food for the purpose of adding sweetness, coloring, bleaching, or preventing oxidation during the production, processing, cooking, or preservation of food. "In this case, substances that are used to sterilize and disinfect appliances, containers, packaging, and may migrate indirectly into the food."

Food additives approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of South Korea can only be used, among which the Food additives Code of South Korea stipulates the food additives that can be used in all types of food and their use standards. For food additives that are not specified in the Korean code, enterprises can apply to the Korean Food and Drug Safety Ministry, and decide whether to identify as food additives by the food and Drug Safety Ministry and other designated food testing and inspection agencies.

Ii. Compliance requirements for food additives in Korea

The Food Additive Code of Korea stipulates the food additives that can be used in various types of food, and the use limit, scope of use, and use of food additives must be observed.

In order to better understand the compliance requirements for food additives in Korea, the following is a concrete example:

Can aluminum ammonium sulfate be used in canned strawberries?

(1) Determine the category of food: canned strawberries belong to fruit and vegetable products

(2) confirm the use of aluminum ammonium sulfate in fruit and vegetable products

Confirm that the food additive that can be used contains aluminium ammonium sulfate in accordance with the Codex food category Fruit and Vegetable products.

3. Labeling of food additives in Korea

South Korea "Food Labeling standards" clearly stipulates that food must be labeled with food additives, labeling methods are as follows:

(1) The names and uses of food additives that are directly used or added in the production and processing of food as specified in Table 4 of the Korean Standard for Labeling of Food, etc., shall be marked together.

(2) The food additives in Table 5 of the Korean Standard for the Labeling of Food, etc., shall be labeled with the names published in the Codex Alimentarius on Food Additives or the abbreviations specified in the table.

(3) the south Korean food labeling standards such as the food additives in table 6 should be labeled "food additive code" published in the name of or the table specified in the short or main use (repeat when using main purpose for its main use), but the main purpose of but not specified in table 6 for other purposes, shall be labeled name of food additives or released.

(4) Food additives in mixed preparations shall be marked with the specific names of the published mixed preparations and the names of all food additives that constitute the mixed preparations in parentheses. 

In addition, Korea's "Food Labeling Standards" also stipulates other specific labeling items for food additives.

For example, in Table 4 of the "Labeling Standards for Food, etc.", the name and use need to be indicated, that is, labeled as sodium glutamate (flavor enhancer).