The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) has issued a consumer safety warning for "Dubai chewy cookies" after confirming cases of allergic reactions and dental damage from consuming the trending snack.
According to the KCA on the 8th, a total of 23 hazard reports related to Dubai chewy cookies were filed with the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) during January and February.
Allergic reactions after consumption accounted for the largest share with 11 cases (47.8%), followed by digestive system disorders with 5 cases (21.7%), dental damage from foreign materials with 4 cases (17.4%), discovery of foreign substances with 2 cases (8.7%), and oral bleeding caused by foreign materials with 1 case (4.4%).
Dubai chewy cookies may contain raw materials including nutshell fragments or hardened clumps of kataifi during the production process, which can cause safety incidents such as tooth fractures. Consumers should also exercise caution as the ingredients contain allergens including wheat, milk, and nuts.
However, the KCA's investigation of online sales pages for 40 Dubai chewy cookie products found that more than half—27 sellers—had inadequate or missing allergen labeling. Specifically, 35 sellers had inadequate expiration date labeling, and 16 had inadequate country-of-origin labeling.
The KCA emphasized that while Dubai chewy cookies are being traded on secondhand platforms, individuals producing and selling food without business registration or reselling to others is prohibited under the Food Sanitation Act.
The KCA plans to create and distribute "Precautions for Online Sales of Dubai Chewy Cookies" guidelines through sellers.