As the harvest season for new rice begins, the government is launching a crackdown on the sale of old rice misrepresented as new rice and the mixing of rice from different production years. Consumers are advised to check not only the 'milling date' on rice packaging but also the 'production year.'
According to the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, a special crackdown on rice labeling will take place from today until November 30, lasting 64 days.
This initiative aims to prevent fraudulent distribution practices, such as selling old rice as new or mixing old and new rice. The crackdown will target rice processing facilities, rice sales companies, online retailers, and importers of rice for cooking.
The agency will focus on verifying whether the production year, milling date, origin, and variety of the rice are accurately labeled, as well as checking for any mixing of new and old rice or domestic and foreign rice. They will monitor companies selling rice at prices lower than the market average and plan to use DNA analysis on rice suspected of violations.
Current rice management laws prohibit rice processors and sellers from mixing rice of different production years for distribution or sale. It is also illegal to mix imported rice of the same variety with domestic rice.
The production year is a crucial labeling standard in the rice distribution process. When consumers want to verify if they are purchasing new rice harvested this year, the production year is the first detail they should check.
The rice management regulations define the production year as the year of harvest for the raw rice. In contrast, the milling date refers to the date when the rice was processed from paddy to brown rice or from brown rice to white rice.
Therefore, if rice harvested last year is milled this year, the milling date may reflect this year, but the production year will still be listed as last year. To find this year's new rice, it is more accurate to check that the production year is '2026' rather than just looking for the phrase 'recently milled' or the milling date.
Rice packaging must include mandatory information such as item type, weight, address, name, and phone number of the producer, processor, or seller, origin, variety, production year, milling date, and grade.
It is important to distinguish between the 'mixed' label in the variety section and the mixing of rice with different production years. According to the regulations, rice that is a mixture of varieties must indicate the mixing ratio or be labeled as 'mixed.' However, mixing rice of different production years for distribution or sale is prohibited under rice management laws.
Those caught falsifying labels may face penalties. Under the rice management law, false labeling can result in up to three years in prison or a fine of up to five times the market value of the rice involved, while failing to label can incur a fine of up to 2 million won.
The agency urges anyone who suspects fraudulent rice labeling to report it through the fraud reporting center or the agency's website.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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