Dongwon says sorry over fishy tuna tale
March 22, 2008
It’s double-trouble for Dongwon F&B.
The company not only has to apologize for the knife blade that wound up in one of its tuna cans this week, it is going to have to apologize for an apparent lie as well.
The Korea Food and Drug Administration confirmed yesterday that the knife blade got into the Dongwon tuna can while employees were fixing a conveyor belt.
Dongwon said earlier that it was impossible for a blade fragment to get past its metal detectors and an X-ray machine at the factory in Changwon, South Gyeongsang.
The popular canned food manufacturer also said it was the first time fragments from a knife blade had gotten into a can.
But apparently that’s not the case. According to the KFDA, a similar incident took place in November 2006.
In response, Dongwon yesterday apologized via its Web site. An official who refused to be named admitted that the company’s investigation had not been “thorough.”
The KFDA said a conveyor belt broke at the Changwon factory where the can was produced on July 4 last year. The mishap caused production to be suspended for about 32 minutes and factory employees fixed the belt with a box cutter, a portion of which was found in the can, the KFDA said in its press release.
“We think it is highly possible that the box cutter’s blade broke during repairs and the fragment got into the can,” read the agency’s press release. “We also confirmed that there was a report from a customer that a knife blade was found in a tuna can on Nov. 29, 2006.”
During subsequent tests, the factory’s metal detectors and X-ray machine failed to detect foreign substances in cans, according to the KFDA.
Dongwon has been ordered to improve facilities at the factory and recall the 167,050 light standard tuna cans produced at the factory on July 4 that expire June 29, 2014.
“The company loosely dealt with foreign substances in its products which can be threatening to customers,” said Choi Soon-gon, an official at the KFDA.
Following Nongshim’s recall of its popular snack Saeukkang, a month after a fried rat head was found in one of its packets, Dongwon said it will withdraw the tuna cans.
According to the Green Consumer Network in Korea, a Seoul resident said he found a blade fragment in a Dongwon tuna can on March 3.
By Lim Mi-jin JoongAng Ilbo/ Kim Soe-jung Staff Reporter [soejung@joongang.co.kr]
The company not only has to apologize for the knife blade that wound up in one of its tuna cans this week, The Korea Food and Drug Administration confirmed yesterday that the knife blade got into the Dongwon tuna can while employees were fixing a conveyor belt. In response, Dongwon yesterday apologized via its Web site. Dongwon has been ordered to improve facilities at the factory and recall the 167,050 light standard tuna cans produced at the factory on July 4 that expire June 29, 2014.
In these days, many problems occured in food, and those problems treate the citizen's health. I think that many company got some problem in managing the factory, especially investigating the safety of products. The manage of employees, products, processes and facillities are very important and sensitive matters. And those responsibilities are charged on CEO and middle officials. So the ceo of company which produce the food and eating thisngs have to get more concern about the facilities , employees and processes.
20200041 kwon hyuck sung
