Detection of Harmful Substances in Gyeonggi-do School Meal Ingredients 'Below Standard Levels'

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] School meal ingredients in Gyeonggi Province have been found to be safe from harmful substances.

On the 14th, the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment announced that all 1,476 food ingredients supplied to elementary, middle, and high schools in the province last year were below the standard limits after testing for harmful substances.

The number of tests conducted included 1,188 for radioactive substances and 288 for heavy metals. Detailed tests were conducted for radioactive substances such as iodine and cesium, which are indicators of radiation contamination, and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury were analyzed.

The tested items included 1,083 seafood products, 342 agricultural products, and 51 processed foods. The origins were 1,068 domestic products and 408 imported products.

To improve the safety of school meal ingredients this year, the Institute held a "School Meal Ingredient Safety Management Meeting" on the 4th with officials from city and county school meal support centers to discuss additional testing methods.

Yoon Mi-hye, director of the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment, stated, "We will continue to strengthen management to ensure that safe ingredients are supplied to elementary, middle, and high school meals in the province and strive to provide healthy food."

The Institute notifies relevant city and county authorities and related agencies such as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of any non-compliant products found in the tests, which are then fully seized and disposed of.

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