Korea Maritime Institute Achieves Results with 'One Meal with Seafood Project'

Promoting Domestic Seafood Consumption in Cafeterias
Presenting a Healthy Dietary Model and Local Coexistence

The Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), led by President Cho Jeonghee, successfully concluded the pilot operation of the "KMI One Meal with Seafood Project: Lunch with the Sea" on October 22, marking the end of the initiative that began in July.

The Korea Maritime Institute is operating the "One Meal with Seafood Project." Photo by KMI

The "Lunch with the Sea" project is a practical program designed to promote the consumption of domestic seafood by utilizing public institution cafeterias. The Korea Maritime Institute was the first to plan and operate this initiative.

The project aimed to foster a healthy food culture and fulfill the social responsibility of public institutions by using domestic seafood as ingredients in cooperation with local fisheries organizations and fishermen.

This pilot operation was conducted over three sessions: the first session in July featured chilled Baekgolbange (whelk), the second in August offered grilled abalone with butter, and the third in October served "Pulpo," a traditional Spanish octopus dish, as lunch menu items in the cafeteria.

Each event attracted around 200 employees, resulting in higher-than-usual participation rates and demonstrating strong interest and satisfaction with the fresh and diverse domestic seafood menus.

Through this project, KMI explored the potential for a new seafood consumption model based on public institution meal systems. Each menu was designed to highlight the unique characteristics and social value of seafood: Baekgolbange symbolized "value consumption (social and environmental satisfaction)," abalone represented "nutritional value (health and function)," and octopus embodied "cultural experience (unique encounters)." This approach aimed to go beyond a simple meal event and contribute to the cultural spread of seafood.

KMI also received support from local fisheries organizations, including the National Federation of Korean Coastal Fishermen's Associations (Baekgolbange) and the Korea Abalone Industry Association (abalone). For the octopus dish, ingredients were sourced through Pulmuone, the cafeteria operator, taking into account Spanish cooking methods. This demonstrated an operation that embraced both local collaboration and a global perspective.

President Cho Jeonghee of KMI stated, "By utilizing the everyday space of the cafeteria, we have expanded the foundation for domestic seafood consumption and presented a model for mutual growth with local fishermen. Moving forward, we will systematically review quality, hygiene, and safety standards to ensure that seafood can be more widely used in public meal services."