South Korea resumed the normal customs inspection of 10 percent
of kimchi products imported from China on Monday, ending a trade
dispute over the spicy pickled vegetables that have lasted for over
two years.
The South Korean embassy in China has notified China's top
quality watchdog of the decision, the General Administration of
Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of China
Wednesday afternoon.
The (South) Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) on October
21, 2005 claimed to have found parasite eggs in kimchi imported
from China and launched 100 percent inspection of the Chinese
products.
The AQSIQ of China has since then strengthened supervision over
the quality of domestically made kimchi products. The entry level
for kimchi making enterprises has been elevated and a batch of
substandard manufacturers have been shut down.
China has also put the whole manufacturing process of kimchi,
from the planting of raw materials to the exporting of the
products, under close quality control monitoring.
Meanwhile, the Chinese and South Korean food safety watchdog
agencies established a consultation and cooperation mechanism to
seek proper solution to the issue.
On August 2007, South Korea agreed to reduce the inspection
ratio of Chinese kimchi exports that carry official hygiene
certificates from 100 percent to 20 percent.
China exported 202,000 tons of kimchi products to South Korea in
2007, worth about 100 million U.S. dollars. No parasite eggs have
been detected in the exports, the report says.
(CRI January 10, 2008)
