Food safety ministry to promote livestock, seafood residue rules at Food Week Korea

The food and drug safety ministry said Tuesday it will operate a promotional booth at Food Week Korea 2026 at Coex in Seoul, which runs from Nov. 4 to 7, to explain its positive list system for residues in livestock and seafood products to food industry officials and consumers.

Under the system, a uniform limit of 0.01 milligrams per kilogram applies to pesticide and veterinary drug residues for which Korea has not set a domestic maximum residue level. The ministry has applied the approach to livestock and seafood since Jan. 1, 2024, first covering beef, pork, chicken, milk, eggs and fish, and plans to extend it to sheep, goats, crustaceans and other minor species.

The ministry said the booth is intended to make the system more approachable for industry officials and ordinary visitors at the country's largest international food exhibition, a B2B2C event covering premium foods, alternative and novel foods, manufacturing automation, smart distribution and farm tech, and to build public consensus on food safety management.

The booth will screen promotional videos on the system and display winning entries from a short-form video contest held from July 16 to Aug. 31 on the theme of consuming livestock and seafood safely under the PLS. Visitors can also take part in interactive events and surveys, with souvenirs given to participants.

"We will do our best to develop various promotional materials suited to the public's perspective, raise trust in food safety management for livestock and seafood products, and create a safe dietary environment," the ministry said.