Korea recalls Bada Myeongga seaweed over cadmium limit

South Korea's food and drug safety ministry said Wednesday it has ordered a halt to sales and a recall of a roasted laver product packed by Haepung Fisheries after cadmium was detected above the permitted limit.

The product, sold under the Bada Myeongga brand as twice-roasted gimbap laver, contained 0.5 milligrams of cadmium per kilogram against a legal ceiling of 0.3 milligrams for processed laver. The affected batch was manufactured on July 14, 2026 and carries a one-year shelf life from the manufacturing date, printed on packs as a packing date.

The recall covers 46.2 kilograms of the product, or 660 packs of 70 grams each, all produced by the small-scale packing business based in Gwangsan District in the Gwangju area. Testing was carried out by the North Jeolla provincial health and environment research institute, and the district office is responsible for the recall.

The ministry urged consumers who bought the product to stop eating it and return it to the place of purchase.

Local governments have posted emergency recall notices, with Suwon and other cities listing the product on their hazardous food boards and giving a use-by date of July 13, 2027. The packs were sold under the Bada Myeongga label and as Haepung Fisheries' own gimbap laver through online and offline channels, including the Nonghyup Mall.