ROK Military Commissaries Continue to Sell Tainted Food Products
Be thankful you don’t have to shop in a ROK military commissary because according to the below article Korean food manufacturers are known for selling tainted food products to ROK military servicemembers:
A dead lizard was found in a can of candy sold at a commissary on a military base, prompting public outrage against lax food safety regulations.
This latest incident comes amid a growing number of complaints filed over the safety of food sold at military camps, according to data made public by a lawmaker.
In a report filed with Rep. Kim Hack-yong of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party by the Ministry of National Defense Welfare Agency, 89 cases of tainted food were reported from January 2013 to early this month. Kim sits on the National Assembly Defense Committee.
The number of reports has increased over the years with 16 cases reported in 2013, 17 in 2014, 21 in 2015 and 22 in 2016.
Besides the dead lizard, hair, chicken feathers, maggots, ticks, pieces of plastic bags, and nuts and bolts were also found in various packaged food products, the report said. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but authorities will not even publish the names of the companies that sold the tainted products. It seems that naming these companies would be enough of a threat to their business to ensure that they increase food safety procedures for products going to ROK military commissaries.
Odd. I used to get snacks from the ROK mini-PX all the time, never had a questionable bit of food.
A one-off, or a sign of a trend?
I don’t know about now, but back in the day, suppliers to the ROK commissaries were required to supply at or below cost, as their patriotic duty. Naturally there was a big difference between what was sold to the public and what the troops bought.
Booze was embarrassingly cheap; 진로 소주 was about 8 cents a bottle and OB beer just a little more.
Korean media making a big deal over statistically irrelevant figures of 16, 21, and 22 cases, and calling them ‘big percentage increases’. Fake news.