Checked November 1, 2026. Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announced on October 30 a sales halt and recall for two processed swordfish products in which cadmium exceeded the applicable limit. The announcement names a “swordfish” product made by Halla Foods and “swordfish belly meat” made by Jeongpil. It is not a recall of every swordfish product. Compare the maker, formal product name and manufacture date on your package with the official notice. A Korean Naver guide provides the same checking route. The cover is an AI-generated concept image, not evidence of either recalled package.
Product one: Halla Foods swordfish
The official MFDS PDF identifies Halla Foods Co., Ltd. (한라식품(주)) of Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, as the manufacturer of a product named 황새치 (swordfish). Its food type is “other processed fishery product.” The relevant manufacture date is September 21, 2026. Listed package contents range from 2 to 24 kg, and the consumption-period statement is 24 months from manufacture. Cadmium measured 0.6 mg/kg, compared with the stated limit of 0.2 mg/kg or less. The notice lists 1,648 kg of production, which does not by itself tell a household how much remains on sale or has been consumed.
A similar package size or the word “swordfish” on an online listing does not establish that another product was made by Halla Foods on that date. Read the physical package where available. If a retailer's abbreviated listing omits the manufacturing information, ask the seller to verify the original label rather than assuming that a matching species is enough.
Product two: Jeongpil swordfish belly meat
The second entry is 황새치 복육 (swordfish belly meat) made and sold by Jeongpil Co., Ltd. ((주)정필) in Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province. The listed manufacture date is July 23, 2026; the stated contents are 20.1 kg, with a consumption period of 24 months from manufacture. Its cadmium result was 0.3 mg/kg against the same 0.2 mg/kg-or-less limit. The announcement records a production quantity of 3,966 kg. Do not swap that result or date with the Halla Foods entry merely because both concern swordfish.
The two entries share a food category and a recall action, but their identifiers are different. Appearance alone is especially weak evidence when a distributor or restaurant has divided a larger original package into smaller portions. Someone holding only a repacked item may need the retailer to identify the original manufacturer, formal product name and manufacture date. The product photographs in the MFDS attachment are aids, not replacements for those particulars.
How to compare your purchase
Start with the package, outer carton or retailer-held original label. Write down the formal product name, maker and manufacture date. Check all three against the table on the first page of the official PDF. If the date has rubbed off or your food was repacked, retain the receipt, order details and any supplier label and request clarification from the place of purchase. A marketing title, a generic swordfish photo or a date on a shopping page might not be the original manufacture date.
Read the attachment on the second page for additional product information and photos. The photo printed there depicts the identified product information; the image at the top of this article does not. If your evidence is incomplete, ask the seller whether the original packaging or supply record matches one of the two entries. Do not announce that all fish of this species are covered, and do not rule out a possible match simply because a repackaged portion lacks the original printed date.
A previous Hanbada Foods recall is separate
An MFDS notice dated October 2, 2026 concerned swordfish made by Hanbada Foods (주식회사 한바다푸드) with a January 5, 2026 manufacture date. That is a different manufacturer and production date from the two entries announced on October 30. The shared fish species and cadmium issue do not make the notices interchangeable. Keep the announcement date, maker, exact product name and manufacture date together when searching or explaining a recall to someone else.
The October 30 measurements are specific to the two listed products: 0.6 mg/kg for Halla Foods' entry and 0.3 mg/kg for Jeongpil's. Neither figure describes the cadmium level of all swordfish. Likewise, the stated 0.2 mg/kg-or-less standard is the limit applied in this notice, not a personal exposure calculation. Use the official product table for identification rather than extrapolating a lab result to unrelated fish.
What buyers should do
MFDS asks purchasers of the affected products to stop consuming them and return them to the place of purchase. If the product is still in your freezer, do not cook or give it away while checking whether it matches. Keep a photograph of the label, manufacture date and available receipt or order record when contacting the seller. If some of it has already been used, any remaining packaging and purchase details may help the retailer check the relevant batch.
The release announces the recall but does not state one common consumer application deadline or a uniform refund method. Ask the actual seller what evidence it needs and how returns of original or repackaged products are handled. Preserve information that traces your purchase instead of discarding the container before you have identified it. If the seller gives updated instructions, use them for the practical return procedure while keeping the official notice's manufacturer and date as the identification baseline.
October 30, 2026 is the release date. September 21 and July 23 are the respective manufacture dates. “24 months from manufacture” is the stated consumption period, not a 24-month window for filing a recall request. The practical test is whether the product you purchased matches an entry, followed by the MFDS instruction to stop consumption and contact the place of purchase for a return.
About the Author
The Life Mokcha editorial team reviews official announcements and primary sources to explain practical information. Check the linked original sources for applicable terms and later updates.
