"School Meals, Priority Purchase of Local Agricultural Products Possible"… Fair Trade Commission Withdraws Ordinance Improvement Task

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Kim Hyewon] The Fair Trade Commission's decision that local government ordinances prioritizing the purchase of local agricultural products for school meals and other needs hinder fair competition has been withdrawn.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 13th, the Fair Trade Commission decided on the 8th to exclude the 'priority purchase of local agricultural products' related ordinances from the list of improvement tasks. The Ministry explained, "This decision came as a result of active consultations with the Fair Trade Commission, based on the purpose of revitalizing local agricultural products through cooperation with local governments, agricultural organizations, and community institutions, as well as grounds for using local agricultural products in public meals (WTO Government Procurement Agreement) and overseas cases."

Previously, in December last year, the Fair Trade Commission identified a total of 672 cases requiring improvement through an investigation of local government ordinances and rules that restrict competition, including ordinances related to the priority purchase of local agricultural products (operated by 165 local governments), which play an important role in expanding local agricultural products and caused controversy.

As of January, 138 local governments have established and are implementing local food plans. In particular, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs views the policy of prioritizing the supply of locally produced food for public meals such as school meals and daycare centers to activate local agricultural product consumption as having great social value. This is because it secures stable sales channels for local small and medium-sized farmers, supplies fresh and safe agricultural products to consumers, and minimizes carbon emissions by reducing distribution processes.

Park Eun-yeop, Director of the Rural Social Welfare Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "With the Fair Trade Commission's decision, local areas can continue to prioritize the use of local agricultural products in public meals such as school meals, giving a boost to the implementation of local food plans," adding, "We plan to expand cooperation with local communities to stably establish a system for the production and consumption of local agricultural products within the region."

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