South Korea Revises Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management

On September 15, 2026, South Korea promulgated Amendment No. 21948 to the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management. The amendments will take effect on March 16, 2027.

Key Regulatory Changes

According to the Korean National Law Information Center, the amendment focuses on two primary areas:

1. Clarification of Measures Against Improper Extensions of Overseas Manufacturing Facility Registration Validity

Under the amended provisions, if an importer or other relevant party obtains an extension of the validity period of an overseas manufacturing facility registration through false statements or other improper means, the competent Korean authority shall revoke the relevant registration in accordance with the law. The amendment explicitly brings such cases within the scope of registration revocation and related import declaration procedures.

2. Adjustment of the Criteria for Distribution Traceability Management of Imported Health Functional Foods

The amendment replaces “sales amount” with “import value” in the relevant provisions, referring to the declared value of goods at the time of import declaration. This adjustment is intended to make the criteria for applying distribution traceability management more consistent with actual import activities.

Companies exporting food and health functional foods to South Korea should ensure that all information and supporting documents submitted for overseas manufacturing facility registration, registration amendments, and extensions of the registration validity period are authentic, accurate, and complete. They should also plan renewal applications in advance to avoid jeopardizing registration status or product imports due to false documentation or non-compliance with applicable requirements. In addition, importers should assess whether the relevant health functional foods are subject to distribution traceability management in accordance with the revised import value criteria.

What Can CIRS Do for You

Established in 2007, the CIRS Group is a leading product safety and regulatory consulting firm. CIRS has branch offices in the Republic of Ireland, South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and China. CIRS Group utilizes its technical expertise, various resources, and international network to provide one-stop compliance services, from regulatory compliance, laboratory testing, and R&D to data services across multiple industries. This includes chemicals, cosmetics, food and food beverages, medical devices, agrochemical products, disinfectants, and consumer goods. It helps clients gain a competitive advantage by reducing business risks associated with regulatory affairs.

The vast majority of members in CIRS Food Business Division have over 10 years of professional experience in food compliance, with more than 80% holding Master’s or Doctoral degrees in food-related disciplines. The CIRS toxicology expert team consists of 24 Chinese Certified Toxicologists (DCST), 2 American Board Certified Toxicologists (DABT), and 1 European Registered Toxicologist (ERT). CIRS has provided one-stop food compliance services to over 1,000 domestic and international food and related enterprises. Leveraging its technical expertise, diverse resources, and global network, the CIRS Food Business Division offers global food compliance services, including but not limited to:

• Health food registration and filing in China;
• Application for “Three New Foods (new food additives, new food raw materials and new food-related products” in China;
• U.S. GRAS, NDI, and CAP notifications;
• EU Novel Food, food additives, and food enzymes applications; and
• Application for new feed ingredients and feed additives in China, the U.S., and the EU.

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