Chungnam, Pilot Project for Supplying Local Seafood to School Meals

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province is conducting a pilot project to supply local seafood to school meals.

The province announced on the 15th that it will promote a pilot project for joint purchasing of local seafood for school meals targeting 14 cities and counties using the School Meal Support Center until the end of this year.

Prior to the joint purchase, the province completed safety inspections including facility checks, radioactive contamination tests, and heavy metal tests on local companies capable of supplying seafood within the meal centers.

Based on this, each city and county will sign supply contracts with companies recommended by the province and provide seafood sourced locally for school meals.

However, the joint purchase will be limited to four items: whiteleg shrimp, abalone, blue crab, and Manila clam. This strategy aims to enable the supply of high-quality seafood at reasonable prices.

Additionally, to promote the project, the Chungnam Office of Education, together with the Chungnam Nutrition Teachers Association, has developed 88 healthy menus using local seafood, which will be distributed to schools during the pilot project period.

A provincial official stated, “The joint purchasing pilot project is expected to have a twofold effect of protecting students' health and supporting local fishermen,” adding, “The province will continue to discover additional seasonal seafood items and local companies that can supply schools, and will make efforts to raise students’ awareness of the excellence of local ingredients by linking with events such as School Meal Day.”

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