Busan bakery owner who boasted of reusing discarded styrofoam boxes for deliveries apologizes

A bakery owner in Busan has stirred controversy after revealing that he collects discarded styrofoam boxes from the street to use for packaging customer orders. The owner initially defended the practice by saying he wiped the boxes down with alcohol, but ultimately apologized after a wave of criticism.

The owner, identified only by the surname initial A, recently posted on Threads introducing himself as a "bakery owner who picks up ice boxes," describing how he collects discarded styrofoam coolers from the street for delivery packaging.

"Running a bakery means you need ice boxes fairly often, and I just can't walk past a perfectly good one," he wrote, sharing photos of himself picking up styrofoam boxes left in alleyways. "If it looks clean, I pick it up. When I send deliveries, I wipe it down with alcohol and pack the contents in plastic bags," he added.

The post drew a flood of criticism over hygiene concerns. One commenter who said they had worked at a pest control company warned that the practice was unsafe. "There could be bacteria you can't see with the naked eye, and alcohol alone won't take care of that," the commenter said.

As the backlash grew, A apologized Monday. "As someone who sells food, I should have thought more carefully about how consumers would perceive my choices in selecting and using packaging materials — and I failed to do that," he said.

He added that he would switch to new packaging going forward. "From now on, I will only use new insulated foil boxes for deliveries," he said. "I will not take this lightly and will carefully review my packaging and hygiene practices again."

Meanwhile, legal experts say reusing discarded styrofoam boxes found on the street for food packaging could constitute a violation of the Food Sanitation Act's standards for containers and packaging. Article 9 of the act requires that containers and packaging coming into contact with food meet the standards set by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Using waste materials that may be contaminated with toxic or hazardous substances in a business operation could carry a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won ($36,400).