Eunpyeong-gu launches summer food safety inspections

Seoul's Eunpyeong-gu will conduct hygiene inspections at 20 dessert delivery restaurants and popular eateries from June 24 through July 1 to prevent food poisoning and promote a safer dining environment.

The inspections were organized in response to the heightened risk of food poisoning as summer temperatures rise, with a focus on delivery restaurants handling dessert items such as patbingsu — shaved ice with red beans — to ensure residents can eat with confidence.

The district has been running a "concentrated hygiene management campaign" against food poisoning at food service establishments and group cafeterias this month. Key areas under review include ingredient storage conditions, refrigeration and freezer temperature maintenance, kitchen and worker personal hygiene, and the use of products past their expiration dates.

For the delivery restaurant inspections, the main items to be checked are: hygienic food handling and cooking facility management; the use or storage of expired products and unlabeled ingredients; whether workers are wearing hygiene caps and masks and have undergone health screenings; the use of food-grade utensils, containers and packaging; and compliance with refrigeration and freezer storage standards.

The district also plans to collect and test dessert food items and packaging containers, and will distribute self-inspection checklists so operators can voluntarily assess their own hygiene standards as part of a broader food safety awareness effort.

Minor violations found during inspections will be corrected on the spot, while serious violations will be subject to administrative action and other necessary measures under relevant laws.

"We will do our utmost in hygiene inspections and food safety management so that residents can enjoy dining out and ordering delivery with peace of mind," district mayor Kim Mi-kyung said.