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[212] 2019.01.23
Mandatory displays of egg-laying dates – enforce this on February 23rd as scheduled!

Mandatory displays of egg-laying dates
enforce this on February 23rd as scheduled!
                                                                                                 2019/1/23
In August 2017, at the time of the “insecticide egg” scandal, which caused an unprecedented suspension of egg sales, consumers were shocked by the fact that pesticides could be detected in the eggs we enjoy every day. This led to a distrust of chickens and eggs among consumers, which was a big blow not only to consumers but also to the livestock industry. In addition, even though some eggs have been confirmed to have come from eco-friendly HACCP farms, the distrust in the certification system itself has increased.
 
To this end, the government has formed a food safety management improvement TF jointly with the related ministries, and has prepared an improvement plan to display 10-digit eggshell codes on all egg shells including information on the: laying date producer identification number breeding environment number. The government first tried to make this mandatory from October 2017, but then delayed the implementation of the policy until February 23rd, 2019, considering the preparation period and the difficulties for farmers resulting from an immediate implementation.
 
However, less than a month before the egg-laying date display system is set to be implemented, poultry farmers are calling for a full withdrawal of policy, saying it is irrelevant to the safety of the eggs. This is just pitiful.
 
In this regard, 11 consumer organizations nationwide (with 903 regional branches nationwide) of the Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations are urging that the “Egg-Laying Date Display System” be as follows for the safety of consumers.
 
In the previous system, the egg shell was required to show only the name of the farm, including the production area and the producer’s name, but the method was different in each farm as there were no strict rules or punishments for a violation.
If the revised eggshell marking system is not implemented, when food safety issues occur, such as the affair of the eggs with residual pesticides, the authorities will not be able to trace and identify the cause of the problem due to insufficient information on the existing eggshell codes, This includes no eggshell code, a different marking method by each farm, or the use of two eggshell codes on a particular farm and room for confusion among consumers will still remain due to cases of using the same eggshell codes on other farms.
 
In addition, since the consumers want to personally check the egg-laying date when purchasing the eggs, it is not appropriate for the purpose of introducing the improvement plan for the consumers to estimate the egg-laying date from the expiration date indicated, as the producers maintain. The producers insist that the laying-dates could make the consumers get reluctant to buy eggs in spite of the remaining shelf life, as choosing the freshest foods possible is the basic behavior of consumers. However, some producers are presently providing this information to consumers by marking the laying-date and the expiry date, so there must be no concern that this will affect their returns.
 
The mandatory marking of egg-laying dates should no longer be overlooked. Poultry farmers are advised to remember that the consumers’ anxiety about egg safety was as hot as the hot summer temperatures of 2017. In addition, we urge the government to implement the policy as originally planned, to ensure systematic food safety and to dispel the consumers’ anxiety throughout the process from the livestock farming to eggs serving on the dinner table. It is hoped that this will lead to a fundamental improvement in the safety of all livestock products purchased by consumers.
 
 


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