[Provided by Gyeonggi Province]
[Provided by Gyeonggi Province]

Gyeonggi Province's Special Judicial Police Unit said Tuesday it found 40 violations across 33 establishments after inspecting 210 large bakeries and dessert cafes in the province for illegal practices.

The crackdown targeted the rapid growth of large-format bakery cafes — venues combining baking, cooking, sales and lounge functions — to head off illegal activity and ensure safe food and fair consumer conditions for residents.

Inspectors selected high-traffic establishments near major commercial districts and tourist attractions, drawing from large bakery cafes with a total floor area of at least 100 square meters or those marketed as local landmark destinations.

The 40 violations included 14 cases of storing products past their expiration dates, 12 cases of failing to report major changes to business premises, five cases of illegal land-use alteration, four cases of false or missing labeling of agricultural product origins, and three cases of violating food-handling standards.

One establishment was caught falsely labeling garlic and chestnuts from China as domestically grown while advertising a premium image for its ingredients.

Another was found storing expired chocolate syrup, yogurt and seasoning sauces in refrigerators without disposal markings.

A third illegally converted forest-classified land into a parking lot without obtaining the required mountain-use permit from the relevant authorities.


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