Article 1 (Purpose) The purpose of this Ordinance is to provide for fundamental matters for the implementation of policies on food safety pursuant to the Framework Act on Food Safety and other Acts and subordinate statutes regarding food safety so as to enable citizens to lead a healthy and safe dietary life through continuous implementation of food safety control.

Article 2 (Basic Philosophy) The Mayor of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (hereinafter referred to as the "Mayor"), citizens, and business entities shall fulfill their responsibilities and roles for ensuring the safety of foods from the stage of production of the goods specified in items of subparagraph 2 of Article 2 (hereinafter referred to as "foodstuffs") of the Framework Act on Food Safety (hereinafter referred to as the "Act") through the stage of consumption of such foodstuffs.

Article 3 (Definitions) Terms used in this Ordinance shall be defined as follows:
1. "Foods" refers to all kinds of foodstuffs: Provided, That those taken as medicine shall be excluded herefrom;
2. "Food safety" means ensuring prevention of citizens from being harmed when they handle or take foods for their originally intended purposes.

Article 4 (Basic Principles) The Mayor shall establish and enforce policies on food safety based on the following basic principles:
1. Scientific rationality;
2. Consistency;
3. Transparency;
4. Promptness;
5. Prior prevention.

Article 5 (Relationships with Other Acts and Regulations) Except as otherwise provided for in other Acts, subordinate statutes, and ordinances of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (hereinafter referred to as the "Metropolitan Government"), the enforcement of policies on food safety shall be governed by this Ordinance.

Article 6 (Mayor's Responsibilities) The Mayor shall establish and enforce comprehensive and systematic policies on food safety and shall endeavor to eliminate hazards to citizen's health that may be caused by foodstuffs and to secure food safety in advance.

Article 7 (Business Entities' Responsibilities) (1) Each business entity shall comply with the following subparagraphs in producing, collecting, manufacturing, processing, importing, transporting, storing, cooking, or selling (hereinafter referred to as "production or sales") foodstuffs good and safe for citizens' health:
1. Each business entity shall endeavor to ensure the safety of foods according to characteristics of each food dealt with by it;
2. Each business entity shall take correct and prompt measures necessary for eliminating an actual or likely hazard to a citizen's health by any food dealt with by it;
3. Each business entity shall provide consumers with correct and adequate information about ensuring food safety in connection with foodstuffs dealt with by it;
4. Each business entity shall keep and preserve records of information about the production or sales of foodstuffs so as to perform its obligations under subparagraphs 1 through 3.
(2) Each business entity shall cooperate with the Mayor in the policies enforced by the Mayor in order to ensure food safety.

Article 8 (Responsibilities of Heads of Gu) The head of each Gu (hereinafter referred to as "head of Gu") shall establish policies, in which local particulars shall be reflected, in order to ensure food safety in the district within his jurisdiction in compliance with the Metropolitan Government's policies on food safety and shall enforce such policies in good faith.

Article 9 (Citizens' Rights and Roles) (1) Every citizen has a right to request the disclosure of information about food safety pursuant to Article 24 (4) of the Act and may express his/her opinions on food safety and participate in the establishment and enforcement of policies thereon.
(2) Every citizen shall endeavor to behave reasonably in selecting foods, to improve sanitary conditions of foods in the course of food consumption, and to eliminate harmful foods.
(3) Every citizen shall cooperate proactively in policies on food safety.

Article 10 (Establishment and Implementation of Implementation Plan for Food Safety Control) (1) The Mayor shall establish and implement an implementation plan for food safety control each year based on the basic plan for food safety control under Article 6 of the Act.
(2) The Mayor shall collect opinions from citizens and business entities before establishing an implementation plan for food safety control and shall present the plan before the Seoul Metropolitan Government Food Safety Measures Committee (hereinafter referred to as the "Committee") for deliberation.
(3) The Mayor shall, when he/she establishes an implementation plan for food safety control, make a public announcement thereof without delay.

Article 11 (Establishment of Food Safety Measures Committee) The Committee shall be established in order to deliberate, coordinate, and advise on the following matters:
1. Deliberation and coordination on implementation plans for food safety control;
2. Deliberation and coordination on main policies on food safety;
3. Presentation of domestic and overseas trends of food safety and expert opinions thereon;
4. Collection of opinions about food safety accidents and recommendations of comprehensive countermeasures therefor;
5. Recommendations about the operation of the system for citizens' petitions for inspections on food safety;
6. Other matters that the Mayor brings to the Committee to seek for advice thereon.

Article 12 (Composition) (1) The Committee shall be comprised of not more than 25 members, including two joint committee chairpersons and two vice chairpersons.
(2) The Vice Mayor I for Administrative Affairs and a committee member elected from among commissioned members shall serve as joint committee chairpersons.
(3) A public official in the rank of the Director General of the Bureau related to the Metropolitan Government's policies on food safety and a committee member elected from among commissioned members shall serve as vice committee chairpersons.
(4) Commissioned committee members shall be comprised of two members of the Committee of Health and Welfare, who shall be recommended by the Seoul Metropolitan Council, and persons commissioned by the Mayor from among experts in food safety, who have good knowledge and experience in the safety of foods.
(5) The Committee shall have one secretary, and the Director of the Division in charge of policies on food safety shall serve as the secretary.
(6) The term of office for each committee member shall be two years but may be renewed consecutively: Provided, That the term of service for a public official who serves as a committee member shall correspond to the term of service in his/her position as a public official.

Article 13 (Exclusion, etc. of Committee Members) (1) If it is difficult to expect impartiality from a committee member in any of the following cases, such committee member shall be excluded from the case at issue:
1. Where a committee member had or has an interest in the case at issue;
2. Where a committee member was or is a relative of a party to the case at issue.
(2) If either party to a case brought before the Committee finds it difficult to expect impartiality from a committee member on a ground specified in any subparagraph of paragraph (1), the party may file a challenge against the committee member.
(3) The committee chairpersons shall, upon receiving a challenge under paragraph (2), make a decision on whether to accept the challenge, hearing the Committee's opinion thereon. If a challenge is upheld as reasonable in such cases, the committee member challenged shall not be involved in the case at issue.
(4) A committee member who falls under paragraph (1) or (2) may voluntarily abstain from participating in the case at issue.

Article 14 (Meetings) The Committee's meetings shall be classified into annual meetings and special meetings, and an annual meeting shall be held once a year, while a special meeting shall be convened by the committee chairpersons whenever necessary.

Article 15 (Allowances, etc.) Committee members who attend a meeting of the Committee may be reimbursed for allowances and other expenses within budget: Provided, That the foregoing shall not apply to committee members who attent a meeting as public officials in direct connection with their duties.

Article 16 (Duty of Confidentiality) Committee members and other persons who are involved in the business of the Committee shall not disclose any confidential information known to them in the course of the performance of their duties.

Article 17 (Composition and Operation of Food Safety Council) (1) The Mayor shall establish the Food Safety Council (hereinafter referred to as the "Council") in order to enforce policies on food safety by strengthening the connection and cooperative relationships with related agencies and organizations.
(2) The Council shall be comprised of the Mayor and representatives from organizations that entered into an agreement with the Mayor, among organizations representing the sectors of the production, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, and consumption of foods respectively.
(3) The Council shall carry out the following activities:
1. Strengthening the connection and cooperative relationships between agencies and organizations for the supply of safe foods;
2. Sharing information about food safety;
3. Jointly promoting cooperative programs, including an integrated certification system for food safety under Article 27 (1);
4. Other activities considered necessary by the Mayor.
(4) Council members who attend a meeting of the Council may be reimbursed for allowances within budget: Provided, That the Mayor shall not be reimbursed for such allowances.
[This Article Wholly Amended by Ordinance No. 5051, Nov. 4, 2010]

Article 18 (Survey and Research) The Mayor shall conduct surveys and researches on the safety of foodstuffs in order to enforce policies for ensuring food safety and shall endeavor to develop technologies for the testing and inspection of foodstuffs through testing and research institutes under his/her control.

Article 19 (Follow-up Study) The Mayor shall collect and analyze information about foodstuffs that have caused or are likely to cause serious harm to citizens' health and shall conduct follow-up studies pursuant to Article 18 of the Act, if necessary.

Article 20 (Education and Advocacy) (1) The Mayor shall endeavor to produce and distribute data about food safety and promote activities for the education and advocacy of food safety with cooperation from educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, and other related institutions.
(2) The Mayor may provide citizens, business entities, and related public officials with educational programs to improve and enhance the level and quality of food safety in the City.

Article 21 (Financial and Technical Support, etc.) (1) Pursuant to Article 27 of the Act, the Mayor may provide citizens and business entities with financial and technical support for their activities related to food safety.
(2) The Mayor may provide related research institutes, organizations, or the like with financial support necessary for their researches on foodstuffs in order to secure technologies for the safety control of foodstuffs to meet the international level and improve safety in citizens' dietary life.
(3) The Mayor may provide an area, facility, or the like, where food safety is substandard, with financial support necessary for ensuring food safety.

Article 22 (Disclosure of Information) (1) In order to satisfy citizens' right to be informed of policies on food safety and facilitate citizens' voluntary participation therein, the Mayor shall disclose information about the safety of foodstuffs pursuant to Article 24 (4) of the Act upon a citizen's request.
(2) The Mayor shall set up and operate an integrated food safety information network so as to efficiently disclose information about food safety.

Article 23 (Collection of Opinions from Citizens and Business Entities) The Mayor shall endeavor to collect opinions from citizens and business entities in the course of decision-making on and the execution of policies on food safety.

Article 24 (Cooperation with State, Other Local Governments, etc.) (1) The Mayor shall enforce policies on food safety in cooperation with the State and other local governments, if necessary to take joint measures in order to ensure food safety.
(2) The Mayor shall endeavor to improve the level of food safety through exchange of information and technologies for food safety and cooperation with other local governments, non-governmental organizations, etc.
(3) The Mayor may request each Gu to cooperate in enforcing polices for ensuring food safety and, if necessary, may support each Gu to promote the improvement of the level of food safety in the Gu and conduct evaluations of its performance therefor.

Article 25 (Operation of System for Petitioning for Inspections on Food Safety) (1) The dietitian in charge of a collective feeding facility in a school, a child-care facility, a business firm, or the like, the head of such a facility, or a group of five or more citizens may severally or jointly file a petition for an inspection on food safety, and the Mayor shall notify the petitioner of the results of the inspection within 30 days from the filing date of such a petition, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
(2) The inspection, testing, analysis, etc. shall be free of charge.

Article 26 (Protection of Petitioners for Inspection on Food Safety) (1) The Mayor shall take measures to prevent the personal information of a petitioner for an inspection on food safety (hereinafter referred to as "petitioner") from being divulged without his/her consent.
(2) A public official who receives and processes a petition for inspection shall not divulge any information known to him/her in connection with such work process.
(3) A business entity or an interested party against whom a petition is filed shall not treat the petitioner unfavorably on the ground of the petition.

Article 27 (Operation of Integrated Certification Program for Food Safety) (1) The Mayor may operate a program for certifying business entities whose safety have been tested and approved (hereinafter referred to as the "integrated food safety certification program") in order to maintain and improve the safety of foods from the stage of production of foods through the stage of consumption.
(2) Certificates of safe Seoul foodstuffs shall be issued to business entities the safety of whose foods has been tested and approved pursuant to paragraph (1).
(3) The procedure necessary for the integrated food safety certification system and other specific matters shall be prescribed by Rule.
[This Article Newly Inserted by Ordinance No. 5051, Nov. 4, 2010]

Article 28 (Rewards) Pursuant to Article 30 of the Act, the Mayor may grant rewards under relevant Acts and subordinate statutes to a person who reports a violation of the Act or any other Act or subordinate statute regarding food safety or a person who has contributed to the improvement of the level of food safety in the City.
[This Article Newly Inserted by Ordinance No. 5051, Nov. 4, 2010]