Retailers pay close attention to quality control of pork belly ahead of Pork Belly Day

Products sold on \'Pork Belly Day\' last year

Pork Belly Day on March 3 is coming back again. Now in its 21st year, Pork Belly Day is more popular than ever. This is because attention is being paid to see if the trickery of selling pork belly with too much fat under wrappers will disappear this time.

According to the distribution industry on February 27, retailers are holding large-scale discounts on pork at up to half price at online and offline stores ahead of Pork Belly Day, and are paying close attention to the quality control of pork belly.

Large supermarkets will offer a 40 to 50 percent discount on pork belly for four days from February 29 to March 3. Lotte Mart will sell Korean Handon pork belly and chuck roll for 50 percent off at 1,390 won per 100 grams (limited to 2 kilograms per person).

E-Mart will sell pork belly up to 40 percent cheaper for two days from March 2 to 3, and SSG.com will sell up to 50 percent off from March 1 to 7.

Homeplus will also sell branded pork belly at a 50 percent discount on March 1 and 2, and domestic pork belly and chuck roll rated grade 1 or higher at a 50 percent discount on March 2 and 3.

Particularly noteworthy is the move by meat processors to collaborate with superstores to supply large quantities of pork belly during the event.

In response to consumer criticism, meat processing companies have explained, "In winter, pigs accumulate fat to protect their body temperature, so there is inevitably a lot of fat." They have also blamed superstores for the problem, saying that "due to the large number of orders placed at once during large-scale discount events, they may not be able to remove the lump of fat."

In response, retailers have been stepping up their inspections to eradicate pork belly products with too much fat.

The standard is a guideline called “Pork Belly Quality Control Manual,” which the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs prepared in October last year after the issue of pork belly with much fat arose in March last year.

The main point of the guideline is to remove fat to 1 centimeter or less for pork belly and 1.5 centimeters or less for skin-on pork belly, and discard parts with excess fat. Michuri, which refers to meat at the end of pork belly, should not be commercialized.

E-Mart consulted with its suppliers on product standards and visited the sites to check the quality during large events such as Pork Belly Day. An official from E-Mart said, "We will double-check for excess fat when pork products are finally displayed in stores, and if necessary, we plan to carry out additional work,” adding, "If there are quality complaints after purchase, we will satisfy customers by refund.”

Lotte Mart has strengthened its quality control standards from warehousing to packaging, even introducing an artificial intelligence (AI) screening system to provide pork belly with an optimized ratio of lean meat and fat in a cross section.

Online malls have also stepped up inspections. SSG.com has decided not to sell pork belly that does not pass even one of the inspection criteria, including the thickness of the outer fat, the overall fat percentage, and the amount of fat in each part. The online retailer also added an "inspection after opening products" process that randomly selects and checks products. "We operate a 'Fresh Guarantee System' that provides a 100 percent exchange or refund if customers are not satisfied with products," said an official from SSG.com. "Customers who find quality defects can take pictures of the products and send them online."

Coupang also plans to allow meat processors to register and sell only products that have passed its quality standards as its Rocket Fresh products.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.