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Parasite eggs found in domestic kimchi
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'Some companies shipped their products to Japan and local hotels'
Widening its checks on food products after reports of tainted Chinese-made kimchi, the nation's health watchdog said yesterday it found parasite eggs in domestic kimchi but told consumers there was no real health danger.
The Korean Food and Drug Administration said the eggs were found in kimchi from 16 out of a total 502 manufacturers - in other words, 3.2 percent of makers of the side-dish that is a staple in Korean homes and restaurants.
Some of the firms, in whose products tainted kimchi was found, exported their products to Japan and even supplied Cheong Wa Dae, government and industry sources said.
One of the 16 firms, Naegohyang Food, exported kimchi to Japan until recently. It shipped 43 metric tons of kimchi worth $100,000 to Japan, which imported a total 36,000 metric tons of Korean kimchi last year, KFDA said.
Ki Young-ho, president of Naegohyang, told Yonhap news agency that he was embarrassed to hear the news because his products have gone through strict tests conducted by Japanese buyers and have been exported to Japan for 10 years.
Another, Hansung Food, a medium-size kimchi manufacturer, provided its products to some high-profile hotels, major distributors and Cheong Wa Dae.
All said, however, they only purchased kimchi from a Hansung factory in Bucheon, whose kimchi was not examined by the government. The government sampled Hansung kimchi from a factory in Jicheon.
The distributors, including Wal-Mart, Lotte and Hyundai Department Store, immediately suspended the sale of Hansung products.
The domestic kimchi found with parasite eggs was produced by small or mid-size firms, contrary to reports this week by the Chinese government that it discovered tainted kimchi produced by major Korean manufacturers.
The eggs are alleged to have come from pigs' excrement used as fertilizer for cabbage, a main ingredient of kimch. KFDA said feces of dogs and cats might be another source of the parasite eggs.
The ruling Uri Party said President Roh Moo-hyun's government would overhaul the nation's food management system, and also impose strict punishment for food crimes. There will also be stricter customs inspections of food products.
When major food scandals have emerged in the past - for example, an uproar last year over bad dumplings - the government has reiterated it would come up with comprehensive measures to prevent similar problems.
The 3.2 rate of tainted Korean kimchi was far lower than the 20 percent level of Chinese kimchi. KFDA said Oct. 22 that eggs were found in nine out of 16 types of Chinese kimchi offered for sale over the internet.
It said it had already examined 165 samples of Korean cabbage and found parasite eggs in eight. It now plans to look carefully into other kinds of food made from vegetables for possible contamination.
The agency emphasized at a news conference that parasite eggs are not as harmful as people might fear. It neglected to make this clear in its previous announcement on tainted Chinese kimchi, adding fuel to the public scare over Chinese food imports.
Two professors in parasite studies were invited to the news conference and said there is little possibility that the immature eggs found in kimchi can infect humans.
"The immature eggs are 100 percent safe," said veterinary professor Yoon Hee-jung from Seoul National University.
The Chinese government warned the Korean Embassy in Beijing last week that it could launch a trade offensive to counter a series of Korean government findings that have raised fears about the safety of Chinese food imports, specifically kimchi and fish.
As well as parasite eggs, Chinese kimchi has been tainted by lead and Chinese eels and carp contained malachite green, a toxic chemical, the government has said.
China's health watchdog said earlier this week that imported Korean kimchi from leading food manufacturers contained parasite eggs, which is seen by observers as an apparent retaliation against last week's Korean announcement.
Food companies affected by the latest Chinese action said they were embarrassed by the Chinese action since they have not exported any of the products to China in October when the tests took place.
