Hwaseong City Wins Grand Prize in Ministry of Agriculture's 'Local Food Index Evaluation'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-seong] Hwaseong City won the Grand Prize and a Special Award in the Safety Category in the '2021 Local Food Index Evaluation' hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 14th, securing two major awards and prize money of 8 million won as the only recipient in the Seoul metropolitan area.

The evaluation assessed local food vitalization efforts and achievements among 159 local governments nationwide on a quantitative basis.

Since establishing 'Hwaseong Food Plan 2030' in 2017, the city has implemented various projects to build a sustainable food system, including the Rural New Vitality Plus project, construction of agricultural product logistics centers (APC), and the establishment of cold distribution systems.

Last year, the city organized the 'Food Committee,' a public-private governance body, and is preparing to establish a comprehensive food plan that reflects citizens' voices.

The city was also highly recognized for its continuous efforts to ensure the stability of local food supplied to direct sales outlets and school and public food services by conducting various precision inspections including residual pesticide testing, heavy metal testing, and rice grain DNA testing.

Meanwhile, the city was selected last month for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' '2022 Regional Unit Food Plan Construction Support Project.'