The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will launch a pilot project to release closed-circuit television footage from inside the kitchens of restaurant franchises.

The project aims to ensure a healthy cooking environment for delivery food as more people order food to eat at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry said Tuesday in a press release.

The topic of kitchen hygiene at restaurants has become a hot issue since a customer posted a photo of a living mouse found in delivery food online in early December.

The pilot project is scheduled to begin in March with the help from the Korea Franchise Association. The video footage will show the facilities and cooking process in the kitchen.

The government plans to introduce a new regulation that if rodents or feces are found at a restaurant, the owner will face a fine.

To put more administrative responsibility on the franchise headquarters, the Food Sanitation Act will also be revised to require the headquarters to provide hygiene education and food safety technology at their restaurants.

For restaurants that sell popular delivery foods such as fried chicken and pizza or have high demand from customers, the ministry will double the number of on-site inspections to four times a year. If restaurants receive a failing grade, their names will be made public.

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)