PM vows to improve safety of school meals

SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) — Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn vowed to make efforts to improve the safety and quality of school meals throughout the country on Tuesday, as a recent investigation hinted at some irregularities among food suppliers and lunch operators.

“School meals are directly connected to the dietary life and health of 6.14 million students,” Hwang said, adding the government rolled out a full-fledged investigation to uncover any problems regarding food regulations.

The investigation, carried out by the prime minister’s office from April to July, revealed 677 violations in the production, sale and consumption of foodstuffs used to prepare school meals.

“Based on the latest findings, the government will deal firmly with the shortcomings in how school meals are prepared and come up with measures to establish a safer environment,” Hwang added.

The prime minister’s office also said the government will disclose each school’s lunch-related information, including violations, to bolster transparency in food preparation.

The government, in addition, said it will operate a real-time monitoring system to root out bid-rigging and unfair contracts involving school meals.