The analysis of food safety incidents in South Korea, 1998-2016

•975 food safety incidents occurred in South Korea between 1998 and 2016.•The total comes to an average of 51.3 incidents per year and 4.3 per month.•Most food safety incidents occur during the production and processing stages.•This study can be used as data in risk analysis or food safety strategies.

This study uses media reports to analyze food safety incidents in South Korea that occurred between January 1998 and March 2016. The total number of incidents during this period was 975, with an average of 51.3 per year and 4.3 per month. The top five types of food involved were fruits and vegetables, fish and fish products, meat and meat products, beverages, and confectionery. Of the 975 incidents, 406 (41.6%) were related to chemical hazards-such as food additives and pesticides-221 (22.7%) were due to biological hazards, and 199 (20.4%) were due to physical hazards. Through analysis, this study determines at what stage a breakdown in food safety is likely to occur: primary production is the most common stage with 615 (63.1%) incidents, followed by incidents during the handling and distribution stages, at 240 (24.6%) and 65 (6.7%), respectively. The results of this study can be used as data for risk analysis or food safety strategies.