Check it before you buy it.

The government in Seoul will be tightening its inspection on eco-friendly farm products sold on the market to better meet consumer demand for safe food.

The National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service said the measure is aimed at fighting a steady rise in products that fail to meet set standards for residual pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Last year, the state-run body checked 13,444 products that have received so called green certificates and found problems in 391, up from 184 detected in 2007 when 9,353 products were checked randomly. Products with "green" certificate, which South Korea have been issuing since 2001, are in high demand and fetch higher prices on the market than ordinary agricultural goods and those imported abroad. Those that fail to meet quality control standards will be barred from using the certificates in the future. In serious cases, tougher administrative measures may be taken.

Information on farms that raise certified eco-friendly products will be posted on the internet (www.enviagro.go.kr) so consumers can check the products they are buying. It is sad knowing that there are people who are exploiting "green products", because they are taking advantage of the green consumers like you and me who buy these products because we actually care for the Earth and our health.

Tip of the day: Please check the products first, whether it is an authentic green product, before purchasing. If you do find a fake green products do let us know :)