Naju City Expands Permission for Using Local Food 'NajuO Brand'

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) is making efforts to expand the permitted items for the joint brand of agricultural and specialty products, ‘Naju-O’, to secure the reliability of local food.

According to the city on the 23rd, ‘Naju-O’ is a representative brand of Naju agricultural and specialty products developed in cooperation with the Korea Institute of Design Promotion in 2012.

The name is a compound combining the regional name with the exclamation ‘Oh’, which expresses ‘surprise’ and ‘joy’. It was registered as a trademark in 2015 and has been used since then.

The brand logo symbolizes the sunrise over the Yeongsan River and the fertile land, representing the revival of the Yeongsan River and a new renaissance of Naju agriculture.

Permission to use the brand is granted annually in April through an application process and is valid for two years.

Applicants must have a registered business address within Naju city and established production facilities. Producers’ organizations such as the Nonghyup must undergo a four-stage review for grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, fermented foods, and processed beverages.

The review process includes ▲whether the product has Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) or organic agricultural product certification ▲compliance with detailed quality standards for each product ▲status of product distribution and whether facilities and equipment for quality control are secured ▲level of internal quality control and whether objective quality management is conducted.

Upon approval, the logo can be printed or made into stickers and attached to the product’s packaging or container according to the color and size.

As of this month, there are 3 locations and 26 items permitted to use the Naju-O brand, including Naju City Cooperative Corporation, Naju Pear Horticultural Cooperative, and Algok Farming Association Corporation.

Main items include representative specialties such as Naju pears, melon, Shine Muscat grapes, bokbunja (Korean black raspberry), Chodang corn, Hallabong (a type of citrus), oriental melon, daebong (large jujube), tomato, green chili peppers, water parsley, onion, eggplant, bell pepper, and zucchini among fruits and vegetables.

Additionally, processed foods and grains such as pear juice, bellflower root pear juice, cheongyak beans, red beans, seoritae (black soybeans), mung beans, and white soybeans are also diverse.

A city official said, “To create a healthy food culture, we are focusing on expanding the permitted items for the Naju-O brand and conducting quarterly shipment and packaging material management inspections for aftercare. We ask for your active support of Naju-O products to revitalize the agricultural consumer market, which has been stagnant due to COVID-19.”

Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong bong2910@asiae.co.kr

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