Suwon Expands Free School Meal Program Significantly

Suwon announced on the 7th that it has decided to expand its free school meal program, which previously covered all elementary schools, to include kindergarten (ages 5), alternative schools, and middle school students in grades 2-3.

To secure safe and hygienic food ingredients, the city will begin full-scale operation of an eco-friendly school meal support center from mid-March.

The city held a School Meal Support Deliberation Committee meeting in the main conference room of City Hall on the 6th and made the decision regarding the scope of free meal support for kindergarten and elementary and middle school students in 2012.

In 2010, Mayor Yeom Tae-young made free school meals a core campaign promise. The city amended the 'Suwon City School Meal Support Ordinance' at the end of September 2010, and began providing free meals from October to 27,368 elementary school students in grades 5-6. In 2011, the free meal program was expanded to all elementary school students, benefiting 75,712 students.

Mayor Yeom did not stop there. This year, the city allocated 2.63 billion won, an increase of 1.27 billion won from last year's budget for free meals, to expand the program to kindergarten (ages 5), alternative schools, and middle school students in grades 2-3, providing an additional 37,800 students with free meals. The city also plans to expand free meal provision to all middle school grades starting next year.

Additionally, the city plans to open an Eco-friendly School Meal Support Center in mid-March to systematically support its free school meal policy and ensure safe food provision.
The Eco-friendly School Meal Support Center will develop strategies for supplying safe and high-quality food ingredients to Suwon students, conduct monitoring, develop major school meal policies, manage external cooperation, and establish safe supply systems for eco-friendly food materials to implement an eco-friendly meal model.

Mayor Yeom stated, "Although there are difficulties such as budget allocation issues with expanding free meal support, free meals mean much more than just food," adding, "We will make active efforts to realize universal educational welfare without discrimination by alleviating the economic burden on parents."

Meanwhile, Suwon has been providing free school meals to elementary school grades 5-6 since October 2010, and last year expanded the program to all grades of elementary school.