Quarantine

Inspection

Quality Control

About NFQS

Beloved seafood, reliable quality control from sea to table.

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Legal Basis

Agricultural and Fishery Products Quality Control Act

  • Article 88. gricultural and Fishery Products Quality Control Act, etc
  • Article 96. Re-inspection

Objects for Export Inspection

Fish and fishery products announced by the minister of the MOF (Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries) that require export inspection in accordance with either the agreements with foreign countries or importers’ request

  • Mandatory export inspection in accordance with the agreements
    • USFresh, chilled and frozen bivalve molluscs
    • EU membersFish and fishery products including bivalve molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates, marine gastropods and crustaceans
    • ChinaRaw aquatic animals, processed aquatic animals by cutting, heating, cooking, drying, salting or brining without using food additives or other materials(excluding edible salt) but their original form remains and live aquatic animals
    • JapanFresh oyster and arkshell and other bivalve molluscs, processed puffer(blowfish) products, live olive flounder, and eel
    • VietnamRaw fishery products for human consumption, processed aquatic animals and plants by cutting, heating, fermenting, drying, slating or brining without using food additives or other materials
    • IndonesiaFish including finfish, crustaceans, mollusks, and other forms of aquatic animals for human consumption; fishery products maintaining the original form and the ingredients processed by cutting, heating, cooking, drying, salting, brining, smoking, chilling and freezing without using food additives or other materials (excluding edible salt or raw materials)
    • ThailandRaw aquatic animals including live ones, and aquatic animals processed by cutting, heating, cooking, drying, salting or brining, smoking, chilling, and freezing without using food additives or other raw materials (excluding edible salt)
    • RussiaFish and fishery products originated from aquatic animals and plants for human consumption
    • EcuadorRaw materials from fishery and aquaculture products for human consumption; aquatic animals and plants processed by freezing, peeling, deveining, IQF, cutting, drying, salting and brining

      Limited fish and fishery products the registered establishments produce and process under the sanitary control standard (fishing and carrier vessels are involved for EU, China and Russia)

      Bivalve molluscs for export to the US must be produced and harvested in the designated areas notified by the MOF

      Bivalve molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates, and marine gastropods for export to EU must be produced and harvested in the designated areas supervised by the competent authorities of the countries (including Korea) with approval of export to EU

      Country (or exporting country) of origin, name of the product, producing & processing establishments and registration number must be labelled on the package

  • Export inspection under the standard demanded by an applicant (exporter) or an exporting country
    • Apply for export inspection with the documents stating the requested standard or exemption from export inspection

Process of export inspection

Inspection applicant→Application→Acceptance(Regional office of the NFQS)→Document check(Production and analysis record Check)/Organoleptic inspection(Shape, color, sample,temperature, impurities, etc.)/Laboratory test(Bacterial Count, E-coli,heavy metals, antibiotic, etc.)→Result(→Pass→Mark “Passed Inspection”→Sanitary certificate→Issue)(Fail→Notify→Notify mayours or county govermors to destroy or prohibit sale)