Gwangju Office of Education's Lunchbox Program Rated 'Satisfactory'... Concerns Remain Over Supplier Concentration and Hygiene

Amid 89% Parent Satisfaction,
Calls for Improvement in "Supplier Concentration" and "Food Poisoning Concerns"

While parents are generally satisfied with the lunchbox program provided by the Gwangju Office of Education for elementary school care classes during vacations, there have been calls for improvements in supplier selection and hygiene issues.

Gwangju Office of Education building.

The civic group Citizens' Coalition for an Academic-Free Society stated on the 20th, "In the satisfaction survey for the '2024 Elementary School Care Class Lunch Program' by the Gwangju Office of Education, 89% of parents responded that they were generally satisfied," adding, "However, contracts are concentrated with certain suppliers, and hygiene concerns still remain."

According to the satisfaction survey conducted by the Gwangju Office of Education with 1,068 parents, over 80% responded positively regarding the taste, quality, quantity, and satisfaction with the lunchboxes. Notably, 97% expressed a desire for the lunch program to continue. Areas cited for improvement included menu diversification (42%), enhanced nutritional balance (32%), and measures to maintain temperature (31%).

However, the Citizens' Coalition for an Academic-Free Society pointed out, "Although the Gwangju Office of Education operates a supplier pool to reduce administrative work for schools, contracts are skewed toward specific suppliers." In fact, during the last winter vacation, 147 out of 152 elementary schools in Gwangju used the supplier pool, and among them, three companies accounted for 60% of the total budget in contracts.

Hygiene issues were also raised. Among the companies registered in the supplier pool, six lacked refrigerated trucks, and eight had not received HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) certification, raising concerns about food poisoning and other safety accidents in the summer. It was also reported that some companies supplied lunchboxes in semi-processed form.

The group emphasized, "While the Gwangju Office of Education is working to strengthen the lunch program by expanding the supplier pool and enhancing hygiene management, more thorough inspections are needed," adding, "The results of this project should be analyzed and improvements made to provide students with safer and healthier meals."