- Government Agency(s) / Competent Authority
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Authorized Government Agency(s):
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA)
MAFRA's National Agricultural Product Quality Management Service (NAQS) is responsible for setting quality standards and grades for agricultural products, enforcing country of origin marks, GMO labeling requirements, and organic labeling for fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains in the marketplace, accrediting certifiers of non-processed organic produce, and post monitoring of labeling of organic processed food products in the market place. NAQS collects samples from retail markets and tests products for GMO content with RDA-developed testing methods.
Agency(s) Contact Information:
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA)
94 Dasom2-ro
Government Complex-Sejong
Sejong-si 339-012,
Republic of Korea
Phone: 82-2-1577-1020
Website
Environment-Friendly Agriculture Division of the MAFRA
Phone: 82-44-201-2432
Fax: 82-44-868-0483
Email: chds@korea.kr or kbb0922@korea.kr
NAQS
172, Anyang-no, Manan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do
Phone: 82-31-446-0124
Fax: 82-31-446-0901
- Organic Regulations and/or Standards
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Name(s) of Regulation and/or Standard:
The US has had an
organic equivalence arrangement with Korea for organic processed foods since July 1, 2014. Organic processed products certified in Korea or in the US may be sold as organic in either country.
Korean Organic Regulations (KOR)
- Enforcement Regulations and Annexes
- Guidelines on Designation as a Foreign Certification Body
- Enforcement Decree
- Enforcement Regulations and Annexes
- Guidelines for Designating and Operating Certification Agencies
- Certification Inspection by Site and Related Training Sessions
- Operational Guidelines for the Organic Processed Food Certification Program
Date of Implementation: 2011
Regulation and/or Standard Scope:
The new Act on the Management and Support for the Promotion of Eco-Friendly Agriculture/Fisheries and Organic Foods consolidates Korea's organic regulations, and is sometimes referred to as the New Organic Regulations. Certification by a MAFRA-approved certifier is required for fresh produce, livestock, and processed products, unless it is a processed organic product that meets the requirements of the US - Korea equivelence agreement effective July 1, 2014.
- Imported Products
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The U.S. has an organic equivalence arrangement with Korea for organic processed foods. US - Korea organic equivalency arrangement covers products which:
Are certified to the USDA or Korean organic regulations Are “processed products” as defined by the Korean Food Code Contain at least 95% organic ingredients Have their final processing (as defined in the Korean Food Code) occur in the US or Korea U.S. products: do not contain apples or pears produced with the use of antibiotics Korean products: do not contain livestock products produced with the use of antibiotics
Critical Variances
The US - Korea equivalency arrangement applies ONLY to processed products as defined by the Korean Food Code (Korean Food Code 1.2.29): "Processed food" refers to a food manufactured, processed, and packaged by adding food or food additives to food raw materials (agricultural, forestry, livestock, or marine products), transforming food raw materials (such as grinding or cutting) till their original forms cannot be recognized, or mixing such transformed ones or adding food or food additives to such mixture. However, where, without the use of food additives or other materials, the agricultural, forestry, livestock, or marine products are simply cut, peeled, salted, ripened, or heated (except the cases where heating is performed for sterilization or heating causes significant changes to those products) till their original forms can be recognized or where sanitary risks from treatment processes are not expected and food raw materials are simply treated so as to allow organoleptic identification of food quality, such food products are excluded from the definition of the processed food.”
The US - Korea equivalency arrangement does NOT provide for equivalency for trade in raw and unprocessed products in accordance with the Korean Food Code. There are no provisions in the agreement covering organic aquaculture. All domestic and imported organic products other than those covered by the equivalency must be certified by a MAFRA-accredited certifying agent.
Seal Use
Use of the USDA Organic seal and/or the MAFRA Organic Logo is allowed and optional, provided that products meet the USDA/Korean labeling requirements.
Certifier Mark
Korea and the US require that the Accredited Certifier must be identified on the label.
Product must meet Korean general labeling requirements.
Organic agricultural produce complying with the U.S. organic standards or international standards still needs certification from MAFRA's official certification agency to carry a "Korean language organic label" in the Korean market.
Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management (2016)
Foreign facilities, including food facilities, packing houses, grain storage facilities, fishery plants, etc., that handle products inspected by Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) must register and agree to inspection by MFDS. Submit registrations online, or by mail. See details in the GAIN Report on Korea's Special Act on Food Safety Management.
Concerning pesticide residues and imports:
Korea is shifting to a positive list system for pesticide residues which may be detectable in foods. Residue database Korea’s import tolerances system assesses safety and sets a maximum residue limit (MRL) of a pesticide that remains in food according to the regulations of foreign countries, if the product imposes no threat to human health, in the case an MRL has not been previously established in Korea.
US processed organic products exported to Korea must be accompanied by the NAQS Import Certificate of Organic Processed Foods that includes the statement “Certified in compliance with the terms of the US – Korea Organic Equivalency Arrangement.” Also, a copy of USDA/NOP organic certificate shall be submitted for import inspection in Korea.
The Act on the Management and Support for the Promotion of Eco-Friendly Agriculture/Fisheries and Organic Foods (New Organic Act) requires all domestic and imported organic processed products other than those covered by the equivalency to be certified by a MAFRA-accredited certifying agent. Each product is required to get an organic certification in order to be sold as organic in Korea.
- Certification and Accreditation
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Certification:
In addition to certification for plant and animal products, certification is also required for products comprised of less than 70% organic ingredients. Certification information is available online.
Accreditation Method:
Government
Accreditation:
Accreditation is done by MAFRA's National Agricultural Product Quality Management Service (NAQS), and must be renewed every five years.
- Additional Information
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Korea is on the EU's third country list.
USDA GAIN Report Organic Foods Market Report (2019)
USDA GAIN Report Retail Foods (2019)
USDA GAIN Report HRI Food Service Sector Report (2019)
USDA GAIN Report Food Processing Ingredients (2020)
USDA GAIN Report Retail Foods Biennial Report (2017)
USDA GAIN Report Korea's New Biotech Labeling Requirements (2017)
USDA GAIN Report Exporter Guide (2019)
USDA GAIN Report Korea's Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management (2016)
USDA GAIN Report Republic of Korea Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards - Certification (2020)
USDA GAIN Report Republic of Korea Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards - Narrative (2017)
USDA GAIN Report Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Country Report (2020)
USDA GAIN Report Pet Food Market Update (2016)
