Korea food safety ministry names 100 experts to new hygiene committee

The food and drug safety ministry said it has appointed 100 experts to a newly formed committee that will deliberate on food safety policy and standards, with women making up 41 percent of the members and half coming from outside the greater Seoul area.

The Food Sanitation Deliberation Committee will review scientific evidence on foodborne illness prevention, food standards and specifications, and residue limits for pesticides and heavy metals, and advise on food safety policy. Members received their letters of appointment at a ceremony at the HY Grand Hall in Seocho District, Seoul.

Of the 100 appointees, 94 are external experts drawn from academia, industry and consumer groups, and six are internal. Young people account for 20 percent of the membership, the ministry said.

The members will serve two-year terms from August 2026 to August 2028, working across nine subcommittees covering sanitation systems, radioactivity, food additives, hazardous contaminants, novel materials, residues, microbiology, risk assessment and international food standards.

Kim Young-seok, a professor of food engineering at Ewha Womans University, was elected committee chair at the ceremony. Song Min-kyung of the Korea Consumer Federation and Lee Byung-jo of Sempio Foods were named vice chairs. The ministry also presented a plaque of appreciation to former chair Ha Sang-do.

The committee has previously reviewed several high-profile issues, including an expansion of mandatory labeling for genetically modified foods, the creation and revision of pesticide residue limits in food, and a strategy for Korea's chairmanship of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Minister Kim Yong-jae said rapid technological innovation in the food industry and changing consumption habits are demanding broader expertise and scientific judgment in food safety policy.

"I expect the members' knowledge and experience to serve as a practical foundation for building food safety standards and systems that the public can trust," he said.

The ministry said it will keep working closely with the committee to pursue food safety policy grounded in scientific evidence and to support the domestic food industry.