Incheon City to Increase Meal Allowance for Food-Insecure Children from 7,000 to 8,000 Won Starting September

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City announced on the 17th that it will raise the meal support unit price for children at risk of food insecurity from 7,000 won to 8,000 won starting September 1.

Although the government’s recommended meal unit price for this year was set at 7,000 won, the city secured an additional budget of 900 million won due to the recent rapid rise in prices, making it difficult to provide adequate meals, and thus increased the unit price.

The meal unit price for children at risk of food insecurity in Incheon was raised from 4,500 won in 2018 to 5,000 won in 2020, and last year it was increased twice from 5,500 won to 7,000 won.

It is estimated that there are about 13,300 school-age and preschool children under the age of 18 in Incheon who are at risk of food insecurity. The city plans to support customized meals for these children with a total budget of 22.3 billion won, including funds from military and district offices.

Eligible children can use the Child Meal Card (Purumi Card) at affiliated stores (4,295 locations as of the end of June) or receive group meals at local children’s centers.

An official from Incheon City stated, "With this increase in the meal unit price, we hope to prevent children at risk of food insecurity from going hungry and also improve nutrition by expanding the range of meal options."

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