Chungnam Province to Strengthen School Meal Ingredient Safety with New Council

Inspection of Ingredient Suppliers and Meal Facilities

Chungnam Province will establish the "Chungnam School Meal Safety Council" to strengthen the safety of ingredients used in school meals.

According to the province on May 14, the council will be operated to systematically inspect the safety of ingredients used in school meals and to check school meal-related facilities in order to prevent harmful substances from being included in the ingredients in advance.

The council will include departments responsible for hygiene inspections related to school meals and departments in charge of safety management for school meal ingredients. These departments will inspect the hygiene of school meal facilities and conduct tests for harmful substances in school meal ingredients. In addition, the council plans to establish a cooperative system to preemptively block potential risk factors and to improve them.

The main activities will include: inspections of school meal ingredient suppliers; inspections of school meal kitchen facilities; hygiene and safety inspections of school meal support centers; monitoring of ingredient origins; radiation testing of seafood; genetic testing of livestock products; and inspections for pesticide residues and heavy metals in agricultural products. The results will be managed and operated in an integrated manner for a joint response.

An official from the province stated, "School meals are directly linked to students' health," and added, "With the establishment of this council, we will further strengthen the safety and reliability of school meal ingredients. We will do our utmost to ensure that students can eat their meals with peace of mind by cooperating with relevant agencies."