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General conditions
1. General conditions for edible non-prescribed goods
1.1. Prohibited
Unless specified within the commodity list below, the Department is unaware of any additional specific requirements for edible non-prescribed goods that are for export to the Republic of Korea (South Korea).
1.2. Conditions
Exporters should be aware that South Korea does not permit the use of diethylene glycol as a substance for use in food products (food additive or extractive solvent).
Given this, the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) for diethylene glycol is that there must be no detectable residue.
Health functional foods
Under South Korea’s
Functional Health Foods Act the term 'functional health foods' (health functional foods) is defined as ‘foods manufactured (including processing) with functional raw materials or ingredients beneficial to the human body’.
Health functional foods imported into South Korea must be manufactured in compliance with South Korea's 'Standards and Specifications of Health Functional Foods'. Specifically:
- Article 2 'Common Standards', and
- Article 3 'Individual Standards and Specifications'.
Health functional foods must also comply with the standards and specifications for inspection under South Korea's special Act on Imported Food Safety Control.
2. General conditions for inedible non-prescribed goods
2.1. Prohibited
Unless specified within the commodity list below, the Department is unaware of any inedible non-prescribed goods that are prohibited for export to South Korea.
2.2. Conditions
Unless specified within the commodity list below, the Department is unaware of any specific requirements for inedible non-prescribed goods that are for export to South Korea.
Specific goods
Edible apiculture products
1. Preconditions for market access
1.1 Import permit
Exporters are not required to obtain an import permit.
1.2 Listing and audit
Table 1: Listing and audit
| Listing and audit procedure | Required? |
|---|
| Audit | Not required |
| Listing ‒ Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment Establishment Register (ER) | Not required
|
1.3 Prohibited products
The Department is not aware of any prohibited edible apiculture products for South Korea.
2. Documentation requirements
2.1 Government certification
The Department understands government certification is not required to export edible apiculture products to South Korea. However, exporters are encouraged to confirm the importing conditions through their importer or, if needed, the South Korean government authority.
2.2 Supporting documents and exporter declarations
The Department is not aware of any requirement for supporting documents and exporter declarations.
3. Other requirements
Propolis products (propolis extracts)
Under South Korea's 'Standards and Specifications of Health Functional Foods' propolis products (including propolis extracts) must meet the following manufacturing standards and specifications.
Table 2: Manufacturing standards
| Manufacturing considerations | Description
|
|---|
| *Refers to Raw material – Definition under Manufacturing Standards table |
Raw materials*
| Propolis must be made by mixing honeybees' secretions with the resin collected from plants. |
| Manufacturing method | Wax shall be removed from the raw materials*.
Manufacturing shall be done by one of the following methods:
- extracting water
- fermented ethanol (including the mixture of water and fermented ethanol)
- carbon dioxide (supercritical extraction).
|
| Content of functional ingredients (or representative ingredients) | It shall contain more than 10 mg/g of total flavonoids; and p-coumaric acid and cinnamic acid shall be identified. |
| Non-permitted substances | Diethylene glycol must not be used. |
Table 3: Specifications
Characteristics and substances
| Specification
|
|---|
| *Refers to Raw material – Definition under Manufacturing Standards table |
| Product characteristics | It shall have its own colour and flavour, and there shall be no off-flavour |
| Total flavonoids | - Raw material* products: above the marked/ labelled quantity
- Final product: 80 to 120% of the marked/ labelled amount
|
P-coumaric acid
| Must be identified |
| Cinnamic acid | Must be identified |
| Lead (mg/kg) | Less than 5.0 |
| Diethylene glycol | Must not be detected |
| Tetracycline (mg/kg) | Must not be detected |
| Chlortetracycline (mg/kg) | Must not be detected |
| Coliform group | Must be negative |
These manufacturing standards and specifications can also be found under Articles 3.2. 2-8 (Propolis Extracts) of South Korea's 'Standards and Specifications of Health Functional Foods'.
4. Exemptions granted by South Korea
The Department is not aware of any exemptions being granted by South Korea. Exporters are encouraged to confirm if any exemptions apply by contacting their importer or, if needed, the South Korean government authority.
