One of the key missions of the team, consisting of more than 200 housewives, is aimed at inspecting whether local retailers of U.S. beef will comply with a law requiring them to identify the meat's origin and results of health inspections to ensure public safety, said the Korea Life Cooperative Federation (KLCF).
"The monitoring team was designed to block sales of U.S. beef carrying a risk of mad cow disease," said Lee Jeong-joo, chairman of the federation.

"Our aim is to protect the safety of our tables and people's health from mad cow disease," Lee said.

The "on-the-spot" monitoring team will visit discount stores, meat distributors and family restaurants to carry out its mission, Lee said.

South Korea banned imports of American beef in December 2003 after a case of mad cow disease was found in the U.S.

The ban was officially lifted in September last year, but South Korea only agreed to resume imports of boneless U.S. beef from cattle no more than 30 months old. Bones, spinal cords, brains and other parts blamed for spreading the human form of mad cow disease are still strictly prohibited.

Source: Yonhap News