Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education Selects Eco-Friendly Food Ingredient Suppliers for 2020 Academic Year

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Jang Hwikuk) announced on the 29th that it recently selected suppliers of eco-friendly ingredients for the 2020 academic year and decided the supply prices by item.

The supply price of 20kg of eco-friendly pesticide-free rice produced in Gwangju was set at 56,000 KRW, reflecting a 1.82% increase compared to the previous year.

Additionally, the supply price of 1kg of eco-friendly red pepper powder was set at 34,000 KRW, and the supply price of 1kg of kimchi (pogikimchi) was set at 4,000 KRW.

This reflects policies to expand eco-friendly ingredients, the producer price index, and the desired prices of suppliers.

To ensure transparency and expertise in the selection process of eco-friendly ingredient suppliers for the 2020 academic year, selection criteria were established through the Eco-friendly Excellent Ingredients Joint Purchasing Selection Committee.

Subsequently, an evaluation panel was formed, and from December 12 to 20 last year, the results of document evaluations, on-site inspections, and product tastings were reflected.

The 2019 production of eco-friendly pesticide-free rice in the Gwangju area was 1,820 tons, which is entirely purchased by all elementary, middle, and high schools in Gwangju.

This accounts for 86% of the total school purchase volume of 2,100 tons in the district, and the shortfall of 280 tons is supplied by two suppliers in Jeonnam.

The Gwangju Office of Education started the Eco-friendly Excellent Ingredients Joint Purchasing Project in 2012.

This project is recognized as having played a decisive role in the physical and mental development of growing students and the establishment of a regional eco-friendly agricultural foundation.

In particular, the cultivation area of eco-friendly rice in the Gwangju region steadily increased from 152 hectares in 2013 to 546 hectares in 2019, a 3.8-fold increase.

The Office of Education analyzes that this was possible because it prioritized purchasing eco-friendly rice produced by Gwangju farms, contributing to increased farm income.

Meanwhile, the total budget for eco-friendly excellent ingredients for the 2020 academic year is 10.2 billion KRW, an increase of 1.2 billion KRW compared to the previous year, and the support unit price per student for lunch is 300 KRW, a 50 KRW increase from the previous year.

An official from the Office of Education said, “By purchasing all eco-friendly rice produced in the Gwangju area for school meals, the cultivation area of eco-friendly rice continues to increase, and we take pride in creating a clean environment in our region.” He added, “As the support fund for eco-friendly excellent ingredients increases, individual schools are also increasing the purchase ratio of eco-friendly ingredients, which is expected to improve the quality of school meals.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.