Gyeongnam Province Conducts Hygiene Inspection of Lunchbox Suppliers for Elementary After-School Care Classrooms

Before Summer Vacation, Targeting 63 Businesses and Restaurants in the Province

Gyeongsangnam-do will conduct on-site inspections of lunchbox suppliers providing meals to elementary school care classroom students during the vacation period.

Gyeongnam Province announced on the 23rd that inspections will be carried out from the 23rd to the 30th to ensure that children can eat safe and hygienic lunches ahead of the summer vacation.

According to the province, this inspection will be conducted jointly with city and county offices and education support offices, with cooperation from the food hygiene departments of the city and county governments.

The inspection targets 63 lunchbox supply companies within the province, including food manufacturing and processing businesses, and instant sales manufacturing and processing businesses that are licensed or registered.

It also includes companies selected through city and county public contests or nearby restaurants contracted independently by schools.

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

This inspection, conducted in parallel with city and county self-inspections, will comprehensively examine the facilities and equipment of the companies, hygiene conditions, food ingredient storage, and quality.

▲ Possession and hygiene status of refrigerated storage warehouses ▲ Possession and hygiene status of refrigerated and frozen vehicles ▲ Drainage condition of kitchen floors ▲ Cleanliness of kitchen tools ▲ Hygiene status of work attire ▲ Food ingredient storage conditions ▲ Supply of meat and seafood through authorized suppliers ▲ Whether hygiene education has been provided to cooking staff ▲ Transportation time to schools within 2 hours will be checked.

The province plans to provide on-site guidance and request improvements for minor violations, and to take administrative actions for violations of laws such as the Food Sanitation Act.

Yoon Hwan-gil, Director of the Agricultural Food Distribution Division, said, “Through this joint inspection, we will do our best to prevent food poisoning that may occur during the summer and to supply safe lunchboxes even during the vacation period.”

Since 2021, Gyeongnam Province has been implementing the ‘Our Child Health Lunchbox Support Project,’ which provides lunchboxes during vacations to elementary school care classroom students from vulnerable groups and children of working couples.

This year, reflecting high parental satisfaction, the project has expanded from 241 schools in 11 cities and counties in 2022 to all cities and counties, investing 7.8 billion KRW to support lunchboxes for a total of 513 schools and about 20,000 students.

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