The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and local governments inspected 4,915 restaurants nationwide from July 13 to 17, 2026, and found 58 establishments in violation of the Food Sanitation Act. The inspection targeted delivery restaurants, which see high demand during summer, and restaurants that use eggs as a main ingredient.
Where were inspections conducted?
The inspection covered 2,510 delivery restaurants that prepare and sell dishes such as samgyetang, cold noodles, and chicken, as well as 2,405 restaurants that use eggs as a main ingredient in foods such as kimbap and toast.
The cited establishments were divided into 18 delivery restaurants and 40 egg-based restaurants.
Inspections of 4,915 establishments nationwide found 58 violations of the Food Sanitation Act.
What violations were identified?
At delivery restaurants, inspectors found poor kitchen hygiene, failure to wear sanitary caps, failure to undergo required health examinations, the sale of products past their use-by dates, and violations of facility standards. At restaurants using eggs as a main ingredient, violations included failure to undergo required health examinations, a lack of lids on waste containers, and poor kitchen hygiene.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety requested measures including administrative action by the relevant authorities. However, the available materials do not identify the names and addresses of all 58 establishments or confirm the final administrative measures for each one.
What was found in the prepared-food testing?
Of 160 prepared-food samples collected and tested, one kimbap sample was deemed non-compliant after exceeding the limit for Staphylococcus aureus. Additional measures by the relevant local authority are planned for the non-compliant kimbap.
The test results show that one kimbap sample exceeded the applicable limit. They should not be interpreted more broadly to mean that food-poisoning bacteria were detected at all 58 establishments or that actual food-poisoning cases occurred.