Kids, Let's Eat 'Gwail'! ... Gyeongnam Province to Supply Snacks to Elementary After-School Care Classrooms Starting April

517 Schools and Over 22,000 Students in the Province, Plans to Expand to All Elementary Students Later

Gyeongsangnam-do will provide fruit snacks in elementary after-school care classrooms starting April 11.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gyeongsangnam-do will provide fruit snacks to elementary after-school care classrooms starting April 11.

The province will invest 1.3 billion KRW to support fruit snacks for 22,000 students using 517 elementary after-school care classrooms across the province.

Seasonal fruits produced in the province will be prepared in bite-sized pieces and served in cups free of charge once or twice a week, more than 30 times annually.

In case the operation of after-school care classrooms is difficult due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, plans have been made to supply fruit snacks to homes via delivery or provide fruit snack packages on school days.

Only fruits produced in the province that are eco-friendly or certified under Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) are selected, and they undergo washing and cutting processes at facilities certified with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), then packed in eco-friendly packaging such as biodegradable plastics.

Gyeongsangnam-do announced that it has signed an agreement with the NongHyup Economic Holdings Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters for systematic supply management and efficient quality control of fruit and vegetable raw materials.

The fruit snack support project has been piloted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs since 2018, and a provincial official stated that it generates more than 400 to 500 million KRW in farm income annually within the province.

It is said to receive over 90% positive evaluations annually from beneficiaries due to improvements in students' eating habits and the stable expansion of sales channels for local fruits.

Jung Yeonsang, Director of the Agricultural Policy Bureau, said, “This will greatly help children develop healthy eating habits and increase farm income, which has been struggling due to imported fruits. Since there is high interest and positive response from parents and students regarding the project, we will do our best to expand the supply target to all elementary students in the future.”

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