(LEAD) S. Korea to create sweeping food safety measures over Chinese milk scandal

(ATTN: UPDATES lead, 2nd para, with new discovery of tainted snacks, more melamine tests at bottom)

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to introduce a sweeping package of consumer protection measures in the wake of a Chinese milk scandal, officials said Sunday, with new measures including a class action suit system for victims and tougher screening of imports.

Korean health authorities ordered the recall and banned the sale of all foods
containing Chinese dairy after several products imported from China or made here
with Chinese milk ingredients were found to be contaminated with the toxic
chemical melamine.
Rep. Ahn Hong-joon, the Grand National Party's screening committee head, said the
ruling party and the government agreed to introduce the consumer protection
measures that will impose unlimited responsibility on importers for their
products consumed here.
"I can hardly find a way to say this but to apologize for making the people worry
about what they eat," Ahn told reporters. "On this occasion, the authorities will
entirely revamp the monitoring and inspection process for all food items,
including imported items."
Consumers will be able to collectively sue local food manufacturers of tainted
food. Importers will have to mark the place of origin of their processed food on
a front label, and the place-of-origin tab will be at least half the size of the
brand name.
When tainted food items are recalled, the retrieval should be promptly made
public through television subtitles, and the government will issue a consumer
alert when information on alleged contamination is acquired.
Manufacturers will have their licenses suspended when violations related to food
safety are spotted twice and, will have to pay fines of up to 10 times more than
their proceeds from the tainted food.
The policy will also raise the minimum number of close examinations that imported
food must undergo from the current 20 percent to 30 percent of all items.
Countries that have a track record of food contamination will be subject to
tougher screening.
In particular, snacks for children will receive closer inspection. All additives
used in children's food should be permitted by the standards of the United
States, the European Union, Japan and the U.N. -- food guidelines called CODEX.
Meanwhile, the Korea Food and Drug Administration said it found high levels of
melamine in another snack, "Misarang Coconut," bringing the number of Korean food
items contaminated with the chemical to four.
A test found melamine in the quantity of 271 per million, the highest amount of
the toxic chemical ever detected in Korean snacks, in Misarang Coconut produced
by the Haitai Confectionery and Food Co., the watchdog said. The chemical was
also discovered in another Haitai product, "Misarang Custard" cake, and
"Vegetable Cream Powder F25" used in instant coffee mixes and "Milk Rusk," both
of which were imported from Hong Kong, but made in China.
The watchdog said it expanded melamine tests prior to customs clearance on all
dairy imports from all countries, noting that Chinese dairy could have been used
in manufacturing food in third countries. Also, isolated soy protein products
imported from China were added to the examination list to address suspicions that
melamine could be added to increase their protein levels.
Chinese health officials said four children have died from consuming milk tainted
with melamine, and about 54,000 others have developed kidney stones or other
illnesses.
There is no report of a Korean victim yet.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)