Korea's dried seaweed moves closer to global food standard after passing Codex interim review

A draft international food standard for Korean gim products has cleared an interim review, bringing the country a step closer to a globally recognized benchmark for the popular dried seaweed. Once a world standard is finalized, the patchwork of import requirements that vary by country is expected to give way to a unified framework, easing non-tariff barriers and opening new export markets.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced Monday that the draft Codex world standard for gim products passed an interim review at the 49th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, held in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 6 to 10.

Codex world standards go through an eight-step process before adoption. South Korea proposed the gim standard last year and won commission approval to proceed. After gathering member-country feedback and clearing a subcommittee review, the draft has now passed the fifth step — the interim review. It will next go through member-country consultations and final reviews by the subcommittee and the full commission before being adopted as an international standard.

No internationally unified standard for gim products currently exists, leaving each country to apply its own import requirements. South Korea, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the global gim market, has long borne additional costs and delays to meet the differing specifications demanded by each export destination.

Once a world standard is in place, non-tariff barriers are expected to ease as Codex benchmarks — which serve as the reference point in international trade disputes — become the common framework, and diversification of export markets is also anticipated. The ministry said the standard would help Korea achieve its goal of $1.8 billion in gim exports by 2030.

The draft standard covers product categories — including dried, roasted and seasoned gim — along with quality criteria, food additives, and packaging and labeling requirements. It also reflects Korean production practices by allowing a certain proportion of other seaweed varieties, such as sea lettuce, gwide (Ecklonia cava) and maesaengi (filamentous green algae), to be blended in.

If adopted, the gim standard would be the first Codex world standard for a marine food product that South Korea has led the effort to establish. Ginseng and gochujang have previously had their regional Codex standards elevated to world standards.

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Hwang Jong-woo said the interim review result "is an achievement that demonstrates South Korea's leadership in setting international standards as the world's largest gim exporter." He added that the ministry would "further strengthen the competitiveness of Korean gim in the global market through building a stable gim supply chain and advancing the industry."