Suncheon-si Establishes Response Guidelines to Prepare for School Meal Suspension in the Post-Corona Era

Efforts to Provide Safe Food for Students and Minimize Damage to Eco-Friendly Agricultural Producers

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Suncheon City (Mayor Heo Seok) has established phased response guidelines to prepare for the suspension and reduction of school meals due to national crises such as COVID-19.

At the beginning of this year, as nationwide COVID-19 spread led to the suspension of in-person classes, farmers supplying ingredients for school meals faced economic difficulties. Additionally, dual-income families and others began to worry about providing healthy food for growing students at home. Recognizing the need for a systematic countermeasure, Suncheon City prepared these response guidelines.

The main content of the response guidelines is a strategy to promote the consumption of agricultural products and provide safe meals to children by dividing the suspension period of school meals into three stages.

In Stage 1, where suspension lasts 1 to 2 months, a campaign to purchase ‘eco-friendly agricultural product packages’ will be promoted, and the use of direct sales stores of the Nonghyup, Wonhyup, and Chukhyeop cooperatives will be encouraged. In Stage 2, with a suspension of 3 to 5 months, free supply of school meal agricultural and livestock product packages to households, drive-thru sales events, and supply through local food direct sales stores will be promoted. In Stage 3, for suspensions longer than 5 months, free supply of school meal agricultural and livestock product packages to households and securing sales channels by connecting with agricultural product processing companies will be implemented to promote agricultural product consumption and minimize income reduction for farmers during the crisis.

A Suncheon City official stated, “Through these response guidelines, in the event of a crisis, Suncheon City, farmers, and related organizations will cooperate to minimize damage to farmers through swift and systematic responses and do our best to ensure that healthy food continues to be supplied to students.”

Meanwhile, from March to May, when school meals were suspended due to COVID-19, Suncheon City overcame difficulties by supplying more than 46,500 eco-friendly agricultural product packages free of charge to households to support farmers and suppliers of ingredients and provide healthy food to infants and students.