Yangsan City Children's and Social Welfare Meal Management Support Center Holds Parent Education Session This Year

The Yangsan City Children's and Social Welfare Meal Management Support Center in Gyeongnam (Director: Lee Heesup) held an in-person education session on April 24, 2025, for parents of children enrolled in meal facilities registered with the center. The session was titled "Food Additives for My Child: Understanding Properly and Making Wise Choices."

School Meal Management Support Center Parent Education. Provided by Yangsan City

This education session was organized based on the results of a 2024 survey on educational needs for parents, with the topic selected as the one in highest demand. The session was led by Director Lee Heesup, who is also a professor in the Department of Food and Nutrition at Pusan National University.

The curriculum covered the following topics: understanding and the role of food additives; safety and management systems for food additives; how to choose healthy foods; and practical methods for daily life. In addition, a separate exhibition corner was set up to provide information on appropriate meal and snack portions by age group, recommended sugar intake by age group and problems caused by excessive consumption, sugar content in foods, and practical ways to reduce sugar intake from processed foods.

Participants received healthy recipes and small gifts, and a quiz event was held after the session to increase interest and effectiveness.

Parents who attended the session responded positively, saying, "I was able to resolve my questions about artificial sweeteners that I had before applying for the lecture, which made the session even more valuable," and "I always had a negative perception of food additives, but after attending the lecture, I feel a bit more reassured. Thank you for preparing the session in such an easy-to-understand way."

Director Lee Heesup stated, "I hope this session will help participants to correctly understand food additives and use the information provided at home. The center will continue to actively gather parents' opinions and strive to provide useful information."

The Yangsan City Children's and Social Welfare Meal Management Support Center is operated by the Pusan National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation under commission. The center supports hygiene, safety, and nutrition management for children's meal facilities and social welfare meal facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities in Yangsan City that are not required to employ nutritionists, including daycare centers, kindergartens, and child welfare institutions.