1. Reasons for Amendment

This Amendment clarifies terms used to indicate infants or children as target consumers as per the Standards and Specifications for Food, eases product name labeling requirements for blended cooking oils, and makes other sensible improvements to label information.

The Amendment also strengthens labeling requirements to prevent misunderstanding and confusion among consumers regarding products that are emphasized as being sugar-free or zero sugar, etc., improves labeling methods to improve visibility of calorie labels on beverages, and prescribes tolerance ranges for nutrients with newly added percent daily values.

In addition, the Amendment clarifies cases where thawed food has been manufactured or processed into frozen products, updates the main purpose of food additives to match the Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, reflects partial amendments to the Standards and Specifications for Food, and otherwise modifies regulations.

2. Major Provisions

A. Clarify labels indicating infants or children as target consumers (II. 1. U.)

1) The Standards and Specifications for Food contain standards and specifications concerning “foods labeled and sold for consumption by infants and children” but there are no separate labeling requirements for “indicating infants or children as target consumers.”

2) Prevent consumer misunderstanding and confusion by clearly prescribing that any general food that is intended for consumption by infants or children shall be labeled as “food for infants/children,” thereby strengthening consumer information provision and protecting the right of choice.

B. Ease product name labeling requirements for blended cooking oils [III. 1. G. 2)]

1) Ingredient names cannot be used in the product names of blended cooking oils, making it difficult to come up with product names, undermining fairness with other products, and creating a need to improve regulations.

2) Allow the use of ingredient names in the product names of blended cooking oils. Prevent consumer misunderstanding and confusion and allow for the characteristics of edible oils and fats by clarifying that the product name may use the name of the most predominant ingredient but that the label shall contain information on the content of all edible oils and fats used.

C. Clarify cases where frozen foods are thawed and then manufactured or processed into frozen products (III. 1. K., Q., W)

1) Confusion has occurred due to various interpretations by business operators regarding “cases where thawed food has been manufactured or processed into frozen products” with respect to frozen products used as ingredients in meal kits, etc.

2) Prevent confusion among business operators by clarifying provisions to specify cases where food has been thawed or divided into smaller packages after being thawed and used as components of refrigerated products.

D. Strengthen the calorie labeling method for beverages [III. 1. O 3)]

1) It has been suggested that calorie indicators on beverages are difficult to see or read.

2) Require calorie indicators on beverages to be in a large, bold font for easy identification, thereby protecting consumers’ right to know and contributing to improved public health.

E. Clarify the scope of natural coloring agents subject to color value labeling (III. 2. A.)

1) Color values cannot be indicated for natural colors that do not have color value content standards in the Standards and Specifications for Food Additives.

2) Clarify the scope of labeling to specify that color values shall only be indicated for natural coloring agents with color value content standards in the Standards and Specifications for Food.

F. Expand information provision on products that are emphasized as being sugar-free or having no added sugar [1. H. 3) in attached Form 1]

1) Consumers often mistake products that contain sweeteners and are emphasized as being sugar-free, having no added sugar, etc. as being less sweet or having fewer calories.

2) Improve provisions to require products that are emphasized as being sugar-free, having no added sugar, etc. to be labeled with the fact that they contain “sweeteners” and “information on energy content,” thereby protecting consumers’ right to know and right to choose by having accurate information provided.

G. Prescribe tolerance ranges for essential fatty acids [1. G. 4) in attached Form 1]

1) Add 3 essential fatty acids (linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, EPA+DHA) to the scope of nutrients subject to labeling as daily reference intakes have been prescribed in accordance with the “Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans.”

2) Prescribe tolerance ranges between the labeled amounts and actual measured values of the 3 essential fatty acids (linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, EPA+DHA).

3) Reduce the burden on business operators by making sensible improvements to regulations to account for differences in nutritional content arising from ingredients, etc.

H. Reflect amendments to the Standards and Specifications for Food and Standards and Specifications for Food Additives and modify wording (III. 1. Q., 1. A. in attached Form 1, [Table 6])

1) Reflect amendments to the Standards and Specifications for Food by modifying the term for natural casing and changing the wording.

2) Reflect amendments to the Standards and Specifications for Food Additives by updating the main purpose of food additives.