Orion recalls $1.1 million worth of cakes after seven reports of mold

Orion recalls all 'Cham Carp Cakes' due to mold reports, affecting products made before July 23, valued at around 1.5 billion won ($1.1 million).

Orion's Cham Carp (Bungeo) Cakes [ORION]

Orion on Thursday said it will voluntarily recall all of its “Cham Carp (Bungeo) Cakes” following reports of mold found in some items. The total value of the recall is around 1.5 billion won ($1.1 million).

“We have asked distributors to suspend sales and will complete the recall as quickly as possible,” the company said in a statement.

The product is based on bungeoppang, fish-shaped bread stuffed with crushed red beans.

Orion notified the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of the issue and said it would comply with all necessary procedures going forward.

The recall applies to products manufactured before July 23. Orion clarified that the cream flavor of “Cham Carp (Bungeo) Cakes” is produced on a separate manufacturing line and is not affected by the recall.

The company said it took action after receiving seven consumer reports regarding mold — an unusually high number.

“While our internal analysis confirmed the mold is not harmful to human health, we have requested additional testing from an external institute for more rigorous verification,” Orion stated.

After inspecting 3,624 units of the product currently on sale as of Wednesday, the company found no further cases of mold.

Orion also said it has made improvements to the packaging line where the issue occurred.

“This incident has prompted a comprehensive inspection of all Cham Carp (Bungeo) Cake production processes for the domestic market,” an Orion official said. “We plan to resume production on Aug. 1, after completing inspections and safety verifications.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY KIM EUN-BIN [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]