Minister Lee Eui-kyung of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) delivers a speech at the 2020 Food Safety Day anniversary event at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul on June 12.

Food Safety Day falls on May 14 every year. Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, the 2020 anniversary ceremony of Food Safety Day was delayed to June 12 at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul with the number of participants reduced to 70, and social distancing measures are in place.

Among those on hand at the ceremony will be officials from Minister Lee Eui-kyung of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), Song Sung-wan, head of the Food Safety Division at the Korea Food Industry Association (KFIA), Dongsuh CEO Lee Chang-wan, Prof. Park Yong-ho of Seoul National University, President Shin Jung-ho of Chew Young Roo, and Prof. Lim Moo-hyuck of Daegu University.

Observance of Food Safety Day was designed to spread consumers’ awareness of food safety to prevent accidents like food poisonings during summer months, award people in the food industry in recognition for improving safety technology, and give words of encouragement to the food industry, particularly the dining sector, the hardest hit by the spread of COVID-19.

Fourteen individuals were presented with orders, medals, presidential awards and prime minister’s prizes.

Minister Lee Eui-kyung of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety poses with prize winners at the 2020 Food Safety Day anniversary event. (Photo: MFDS)

The Order of Industrial Service went to CEO Lee Chang-hwan of Dongsuh Co. in recognition for his contribution to the development of the Korean food industry. Lee took office as Dongsuh president in 1998 and served as chairman of Korea Food Industry Association since 2016.

He is now chairman of Dongsuh Co. Chairman Lee was praised for introducing advanced foreign technology and producing coffee with production facilities to substitute for imports, and contributing to the development of the food industry through the development of diverse foods for consumers’ dramatic convenience.

Song Sung-wan, head of the Food Safety Division at KFIA, was presented with the Service Merit Medal for his role in improving public health through tasks such as the one to reduce natrium of processed foods.

Song had been credited with establishing a voluntary foreign substance management network and achieving a goal of lowering levels to 0.15 ppm quite lower than 3 to 4 ppm for those of advanced countries.

Prof. Park Yong-ho of Seoul National University was awarded in recognition of contributing to food safety management through research on antibiotic resistance in livestock foods.

Prof. Kim Yong-suk of Jeonbuk National University was praised for his contribution to setting food & food additive standards. Prof. Kim has been credited for his role in revising food and food additive standards and regulations.

Kim, now chairman of the Food Additive Subcommittee of the Food Health Deliberation Committee, held positions such as hazard evaluation specialized committee person and public petition safety inspection specialized committee person for 12 years and eight months.

Kim participated in 20 meetings as a specialized committee person on food, food additives, apparatuses, packaging standards, use standards and safety management since 2011, contributing to communicating with industry and consumers on food safety policies.

MFDS Minister Lee said, “We at MFDS will make efforts to continuously spread public awareness toward the importance of food safety to lead a healthy life.” She urged all food stages, including production and distribution, to fully fulfill what they are tasked with.