Frogs Found in School Lunch Side Dishes... Ministry of Education Conducts Full Inspection of Young Radish Kimchi Suppliers

Seoul Gangseo-gu and Jung-gu High Schools Report Cases in Succession
School Supplier List to Be Submitted
MFDS and Local Governments to Conduct On-site Inspections Planned

On May 30th, a green tree frog was found in the school lunch at a high school located in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. (Source=Twitter)

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] After frog carcasses were found consecutively at two-week intervals in young radish kimchi side dishes served in school meals, the Ministry of Education is launching a full investigation into the suppliers of young radish kimchi.

At the Ministry of Education's regular briefing on the 20th, Ryu Hye-sook, Director of the Student Support Bureau, stated, "To conduct a full investigation of young radish kimchi suppliers, we have instructed each school to submit the names of the suppliers from whom they received young radish kimchi by the 21st."

The Ministry of Education has identified about 400 young radish kimchi companies certified under the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety management standards, and it is expected that fewer of these companies supply side dishes to schools.

The Ministry plans to classify the target companies by city and province and conduct on-site inspections together with local food and drug safety agencies, local governments, and education offices.

Director Ryu explained, "The Food and Drug Administration and local governments need to verify the strengthened inspection processes and procedures," adding, "Since this concerns student food safety, we will strongly urge action."

Earlier, in Seoul, frog carcasses were found consecutively in young radish kimchi served at A High School in Gangseo-gu and B High School in Jung-gu. Although the two schools received young radish kimchi from different suppliers, it was revealed that frogs were mixed in during the raw material delivery and were not filtered out during the washing process.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has decided to exclude young radish kimchi from all school meal menus until the summer vacation and replace it with other foods. Both schools have terminated contracts with the supplying companies, and A High School has already filed a claim for damages.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education requested sanctions against the supplier for A High School through the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, and after a joint investigation with the Food and Drug Administration, plans to impose usage restrictions on the supplier for B High School as well.

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