Food and drug safety ministry finds six dairy businesses violating rules

The food and drug safety ministry said it found six businesses making or selling dairy products in violation of hygiene rules during a summer inspection conducted with local governments.

The July 6-24 inspection covered 852 makers of milk, fermented milk and ice cream, as well as retailers specializing in drinkable dairy products.

It also examined infant-formula producers. Officials collected dairy products in the market and purchased them online to test for food-poisoning bacteria, while infant formula was tested for nutrients including minerals and vitamins.

Four of the six businesses had not conducted their own quality tests, while two had failed to keep production or work records. Local governments will take administrative action and recheck whether the businesses have improved within six months.

Of 692 dairy-product samples tested for food-poisoning bacteria, three exceeded microbiological standards and were disposed of. The noncompliant items were one milk product, which exceeded bacteria and coliform limits, and one fermented milk product and one concentrated fermented milk product, which exceeded coliform limits.

The ministry said it would "continue to strengthen" safety controls on widely consumed livestock products and deal strictly with deliberate illegal activity.