Gwangju Dongbu Office of Education Conducts On-site Inspection of School Meal Ingredient Suppliers

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Cho Hyung-joo] The Gwangju Dongbu Office of Education conducted on-site inspections of school meal ingredient suppliers for three days from the 20th to the 22nd to ensure the supply of safe ingredients to students.

According to the Gwangju Dongbu Office of Education on the 25th, the on-site inspections focused on 28 businesses registered in eAT that supply ingredients to schools within the Dongbu district for October.

The Office of Education concentrated on inspecting ▲facility environment management such as ingredient handling areas ▲personal hygiene management ▲whether unlabelled foods or expired products were used or stored. In addition, preventive measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 were emphasized during the inspections.

The inspection results showed that ingredients were generally managed safely. However, some ingredient suppliers were pointed out for hygiene management of cooking utensils, proper storage of ingredients, and methods of storing disinfectant solutions, and immediate corrective actions were taken on-site. The inspection team advised suppliers to prevent similar cases from occurring and urged them to strive to provide safe food.

A representative of an ingredient supply company said, “Although it is difficult due to COVID-19, we are doing our best to supply good ingredients to schools for the health of students, and we ask for the continuous interest and consideration of the Office of Education.”

Kim Cheol-ho, Superintendent of the Gwangju Dongbu Office of Education, stated, “We will continue to do our best to secure the safety of ingredients provided to students through active on-site inspections of school meal suppliers and to create a meal environment where everyone can feel safe.”