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Busan Metropolitan City Selected as an Excellent Institution for Food Poisoning Prevention and Management by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2025

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it was selected as an excellent institution in the 2025 Food Poisoning Prevention and Management Evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and received a commendation from the Minister on December 12.
The evaluation was conducted based on performance in the previous year (2024), and the awards ceremony was held on December 12 at the Sono Calm Gyeongju Hotel. Yeongdo-gu District of Busan was also included among the excellent institutions in the city, county, and district category.

The City received high marks for promptly identifying the causes of food poisoning incidents and effectively preventing further spread, demonstrating an excellent food poisoning incident management rate.

As a result of the City’s proactive preventive administration last year—including strengthened joint investigations, comprehensive inspections, nighttime inspections, and hygiene consultations (consulting)—the number of food poisoning cases decreased significantly. In addition, Busan ranked among the top nationwide in terms of its food poisoning incident management rate (reduction in incidents and number of patients) compared to the five-year average number of patients.
Last year, the number of food poisoning cases in Busan fell to 29, a substantial decrease from 50 cases in 2023.

In addition, the City has been making continuous efforts to strengthen its food poisoning response capacity and prevention management through rapid reporting, on-site response, and management of vulnerable facilities.

[Busan-style Joint On-site Investigation]
The Busan-style joint on-site investigation, introduced by the City last year, contributed to improving the rate of identifying causes, a key evaluation indicator.
Since last year, when two or more suspected food poisoning cases are reported in high-consumption food sectors such as gimbap and milmyeon, the City and district governments have jointly conducted investigations under a pilot Busan-style joint on-site investigation program. This represents a strengthened response system compared to the standard guideline investigation criteria, which apply only to multiple outbreaks involving 50 or more people.

[Periodic Comprehensive Inspections of Group Meal Facilities]
To ensure the safety of cooking environments, the City established a system for comprehensive inspections of group meal facilities and food retail businesses last year.
These inspections are conducted to regularly check sanitary conditions throughout the entire meal service process and to proactively eliminate risk factors. The City inspected 2,637 sites last year, exceeding its target of 2,590 sites, and is continuing inspections on a similar scale this year.

[Strengthened Restaurant Safety Management]
The City has been steadily implementing nighttime inspections of delivery restaurants and hygiene consultations (consulting) for general restaurants.
As non-face-to-face consumption through delivery platforms increases, Busan Metropolitan City has made nighttime inspections of delivery restaurants a regular monthly practice, focusing on cooking and storage environments and risks of cross-contamination.
In addition, customized hygiene consultations (consulting) were provided to 1,250 general restaurants—including gimbap shops, milmyeon restaurants, and sashimi restaurants—to enhance operators’ self-management capabilities.

[Food and Beverage Safety Management for International and National Events]
From last year through this year, the City strengthened food and beverage hygiene and safety management at large-scale events such as the APEC Leaders’ Meeting, the National Sports Festival and National Para Games, and the International Table Tennis Championships, achieving zero food poisoning cases and zero hazard reports.
Prior to these events, inspections and staff training were conducted for hotels, buffet operators, and lunchbox providers. During the events, on-site response teams were operated to maintain a rapid response system. As a result, not a single food poisoning incident or hazard report occurred.

Based on the outcomes of the pilot Busan-style joint on-site investigations conducted last year, Busan Metropolitan City plans to expand the scope of joint investigations starting next year to include large-scale cooking businesses such as lunchbox providers and buffet operators. The City also plans to institutionalize the “Busan-style Joint Investigation Manual” to establish a rapid response system tailored to regional characteristics.

Jo Gyu-yul, Director General of the Citizens’ Health Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “Our city has continuously strengthened prevention- and field-oriented policies,” adding, “Next year, we will expand joint investigations to large-scale cooking businesses to create a dining and meal service environment where citizens can feel safe.”