(1) Reasons for Proposal

The Amendment prescribes separate reference daily values for infants as it is difficult to provide suitable nutrition information for infants under 2 years of age using the “reference daily values” currently used for food nutrition facts labels. It strengthens the provision of consumer safety information by requiring health functional foods to display high caffeine content warning labels. It clarifies standards for administrative dispositions against cases where the “Best before” date has not been displayed or has been falsified on foods that may display the “Best before” date instead of the “Sell-by” date, and otherwise addresses a number of weaknesses that have emerged from the operation of the system.

(2) Major Provisions

A. Make health functional foods subject to high caffeine warning labeling, etc. (attached Table 2)

1) Standard foods with a high caffeine content are required to display a warning label, etc., but there are no such obligations for health functional foods.

2) Require high-caffeine health functional foods to display the caffeine content and a “written warning for children, pregnant women, and persons sensitive to caffeine” in the same manner as foods and livestock products.

3) Strengthen the provision of consumer safety information by requiring health functional foods to display a high-caffeine label and a written warning.

B. Improve reference daily values (attached Table 5)

1) It is difficult to provide nutrition information suitable for infants under 2 years of age using the reference daily values currently used for food nutrition facts labels.

2) Prescribe separate reference daily values for infants under 2 years of age, and stipulate that nutrients whose reference daily values have not been specified shall be in accordance with the reference values applicable to the age group concerned under the Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans.

3) Contribute to consumers’ healthy food choices by providing correct nutrition information on foods consumed by infants.

C. Clarify the criteria for administrative dispositions (attached Table 7)

1) The criteria for administrative dispositions are unclear in cases where the “Best before” date has not been displayed or has been falsified on foods that may display the “Best before” date instead of the “Sell-by” date.

2) Prescribe criteria for administrative dispositions against cases where the “Best before” date has not been displayed or has been falsified.

3) Encourage accurate “Best before” dates and allow consistency in applying the criteria for administrative dispositions.