Currently, approximately 6,000 domestic food tech corporations are limited to protein processing and alternative food. Food safety management must not only involve simple manufacturing methods but also integrate technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and information technology (IT).
Sohn Byoung-ik, Vice President of Neogen Asia-Pacific, said this during the ‘Neogen Korea 3rd anniversary press conference’ held at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 8th.
Neogen is a specialized corporation in the fields of food and animal safety that was founded in the United States in 1982. In 2022, it acquired and merged with the food safety division of the American multinational manufacturing corporation 3M, and established a branch and Asia-Pacific headquarters in Korea that year. Currently, it is providing comprehensive solutions in food and animal safety as well as genomics in more than 140 countries.
Vice President Sohn remarked, “Among more than 31,000 domestic food processing and manufacturing corporations, about 70% are engaged in exports, and various K-foods including gimbap are gaining popularity worldwide,” adding, “In this regard, Korea serves as a favorable test bed for trying out various standards and systems related to food safety, not just the food itself.”
Neogen Korea is introducing AI and machine learning to develop equipment for food safety management. A representative product is ‘Petrifilm.’ Petrifilm is a dry film medium for microbial culture, allowing for simple and rapid microbial testing. Notably, after culturing pathogenic bacteria on the film, the device integrated with AI and machine learning (Petrifilm plate reader) can accurately count the number of bacteria within six seconds.
In addition, ▲ there are digital technologies like AI and machine learning applied in the detection kits suitable for accurate food poisoning bacteria testing within 60 to 75 minutes, including for Salmonella and Listeria, and isothermal amplification molecular testing systems, ▲ screening-type kits for detecting fungal bacteria and toxins in grains, and ▲ devices based on enzyme immunoassay for allergic reactions.
Park Jun-young, Managing Director of Neogen Korea, stated, “All the equipment we provide holds international certification,” and added, “We plan to actively pursue digital innovation to enable systematic and scientific food safety and quality management and risk response for domestic and international clients and research institutions.”
According to the Korea Institute of Food Safety, the global food safety market is growing at an average annual rate of 7.8%, with a size of $24.4 billion (approximately 33.2 trillion won) as of last year. It is projected to reach $38.25 billion (52.1 trillion won) by 2030.
During the press conference, Lee Gwang-won, president of the Korea Institute of Food Safety and professor of food engineering at Korea University, stated, “As consumer expectations for food safety continue to rise, there is an increasing demand for more precise and systematic food safety management,” emphasizing that “especially, enhanced international standardization efforts aimed at exports are essential.”
Safety management is also crucial in reducing expenses related to food recalls. According to research by the Korea Institute for Food Safety Management Accreditation, when small and medium-sized food corporations recall problematic products, direct expenses range from 300 million to 500 million won, while indirect expenses increase from 500 million to 1 billion won. In the case of large corporations, direct expenses range from 5 billion to 10 billion won, and indirect expenses can reach 20 billion to 50 billion won. Additionally, it was found that brand value drops by an average of 10% to 30% when safety incidents occur.
The professor emphasized that food corporations should focus on safety management from a preventive perspective. He argued that a paradigm shift is needed to realize predictive safety management using technologies such as AI, machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and big data convergence technology.
He noted, “By managing risks to prevent safety incidents beforehand, consumer trust can be enhanced, leading to positive synergy effects that expand market share,” and stated, “Preventive investments for food safety are a key factor for generating future revenue.”