Joint School Meal Menu Pilot Program to Start in June in Cheongdo and Goryeong, Gyeongbuk

The Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) will pilot a joint meal plan system in the Cheongdo and Goryeong areas starting in June.

The purpose of this pilot operation is to reduce complaints arising from differences in satisfaction and quality of school meals depending on the capabilities of nutritionists, cooks, and other meal staff at each school, and to resolve the reluctance of suppliers caused by ordering small quantities of many items for individual menus in small schools.

Nutritionists from Goryeong County in Gyeongbuk and Cheongdo area are holding a meeting ahead of the pilot implementation of the joint meal plan.

The Gyeongbuk Office of Education has formed a nutrition teacher council in the two regions of Cheongdo and Goryeong and decided through consultations to pilot the joint meal plan system starting in June. Depending on the results of the pilot, they will consider expanding it to other cities and counties and review improvement measures.

In Cheongdo, nine elementary schools have agreed to jointly create meal plans, and in Goryeong, seven elementary schools and three middle schools will participate in the joint meal plan.

A nutrition teacher in Cheongdo said, "I have been creating and researching meal plans alone for over 20 years, but I expect that if nutritionists gather together to discuss and research, we can develop better meal plans."

An official from the Gyeongbuk Office of Education stated, "We understand that the joint meal plan system started five years ago in Namhae, Gyeongnam, has been effective. If the joint meal plan system succeeds in Goryeong and Cheongdo in Gyeongbuk, it is highly likely to spread quickly to other regions."

Superintendent Lim Jong-sik said, "We expect that this joint meal plan operation will reduce disparities in school meals and resolve the reluctance of suppliers," adding, "We will analyze the effects of the pilot operation, improve any shortcomings, and strengthen various supports such as student dietary education and cooking work consulting in the future."

In Gyeongbuk, it is known that about 100 small schools with fewer than 100 students participate in joint cooking, where food is prepared at one school and delivered to other schools.

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