Food company chief sold 50,000 kg of adulterated chili powder as '100% dried chili'

The head of a food company has received a suspended prison sentence after selling chili powder mixed with seasoning paste and chili seed powder while falsely labeling it as "100% dried chili."

The 11th Criminal Division of Daejeon District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Park Woo-geun, sentenced the company's 51-year-old chief, identified only as A, to three years in prison suspended for four years and a fine of 870 million won on charges of violating the Special Measures Act on the Control of Health Crimes, including the manufacture of adulterated food products. The co-indicted corporation was fined 60 million won.

A was indicted for manufacturing and selling 50,665 kilograms of chili powder worth 433 million won ($314,000) between July 2023 and March 2024 by mixing in unauthorized ingredients, in violation of food safety standards and specifications that prohibit adding any substance other than chili seeds naturally present in the source peppers.

A manufactured the chili powder using non-compliant methods to cut production costs, then falsely labeled the product as made from 100% dried chili and ran deceptive advertisements.

"Most of the products — manufactured by mixing dried chili with other ingredients such as seasoning paste and chili seeds to reduce costs — were sold and distributed, yielding substantial illicit gains," the court said in its ruling.

However, the court cited mitigating factors in its sentencing, noting that "the mixed ingredients do not pose a risk to human health" and that the defendant had no prior criminal record.