Korea to strengthen food safety ties, support exports to Latin America

South Korea will host 32 food safety officials from eight Latin American countries for a training program to strengthen import safeguards and help Korean food companies expand into the region, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday.

The program, now in its fourth year, will run from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2, with Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru participating.

“Building trust between countries through food safety cooperation is an important foundation for safe food trade and Korean food exports,” Food and Drug Safety Minister Oh Yu-kyoung said.

Organized by the ministry and the Korea Agency of HACCP Accreditation and Services, or KAHAS, the training is part of an official development assistance project running from 2023 through 2027.

An Oct. 28 briefing for Korean food companies will cover export strategies, support programs and food standards in the participating countries.

The training will cover Korea’s food safety policies, import inspections, food standards and safety controls for agricultural, livestock and fishery products, as well as digital food safety management.

Participants will visit the ministry and KAHAS to learn about their policies and digital safety management systems. They will also tour Pulmuone’s global kimchi plant, a Harim Industry facility and Maeil Dairies’ Sangha plant to observe production, hygiene and quality controls.