Gyeonggi Province's Paju City was honored with the Prime Minister's Commendation, the highest award in the food culture improvement sector, at the '24th Food Safety Day' ceremony held on May 8th at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. This achievement is a result of Paju City's continuous efforts to establish a healthy and safe food culture in collaboration with its citizens, and its significance is amplified by being selected as the top institution among 226 basic local governments nationwide.
Every year, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety commemorates 'Food Safety Day' by evaluating the performance of food culture improvement projects in basic local governments across the country and awarding outstanding institutions. This year, a rigorous evaluation was conducted across five categories: ▲expansion of the restaurant hygiene grading system, ▲creation of a safe dining environment, ▲establishment of a hygienic food culture, ▲development of food culture leveraging local characteristics, and ▲citizen-participatory food culture improvement activities. As a result, Paju City received high evaluations in all areas and achieved the honor of receiving the Prime Minister's Commendation.
In this evaluation, Paju City was particularly recognized for its various food culture improvement activities in partnership with citizens, including ▲support for hygiene grade designation consulting, ▲business environment improvement projects, ▲holding a children's poster contest for food culture improvement, and ▲hosting the Jangdan Samback Cuisine National Competition.
Hygiene Grade Designation Consulting Support and Business Environment Improvement Project:
Paju City actively supported efforts to enhance the hygiene standards of restaurants. Through hygiene grade designation consulting, the city provided professional support to help restaurants meet hygiene standards and obtain grades. Additionally, it promoted support projects for improving the environment of aging businesses, striving to create a safe and pleasant dining environment. This was highly evaluated for significantly contributing to enhancing restaurants' voluntary hygiene management capabilities and ensuring citizens' right to safe dining choices.
Children's Poster Contest for Food Culture Improvement:
Paju City held a 'Children's Poster Contest for Food Culture Improvement' to foster healthy eating habits in future generations. By encouraging children to express their thoughts on healthy eating and food culture through drawings, the contest naturally promoted awareness of the importance of food culture improvement. This received great response from children and parents alike, contributing to raising social interest in healthy eating.
Jangdan Samback Cuisine National Competition:
Paju City hosted the 'Jangdan Samback Cuisine National Competition' to develop food culture utilizing local specialties. Jangdan Samback (rice, beans, ginseng) are Paju's representative local products, and the creative cooking competition using these ingredients helped promote the excellence of local agricultural products and develop Paju's unique food culture. Furthermore, this competition served as a festival for culinary experts and citizens from across the country, significantly elevating the status of Paju's food culture.
Paju Mayor Kim Kyung-il stated, "We are very pleased that this award will help widely promote Paju City's excellent food culture. We will continue to actively pursue various policies, such as designating a food safety zone (hygiene grade specialized zone) this year, and do our best to revitalize the local commercial district and develop Paju's dining industry."
Paju City plans to continue promoting various food culture improvement projects so that citizens can enjoy safe and healthy eating. In particular, this year, the city plans to designate a 'food safety zone (hygiene grade specialized zone)' to intensively foster restaurants with excellent hygiene grades and provide citizens with a safe dining environment. It also plans to contribute to revitalizing the local economy by developing and distributing diverse foods using local agricultural products.
Paju City's award is significant in that it is an achievement made together by all Paju citizens, not just an individual honor. Paju City will continue to work with its citizens to create a healthy and safe food culture.
Importance of Food Safety Day and Food Culture Improvement:
'Food Safety Day' is a commemorative day established to raise public interest in food safety and create a safe food consumption environment. Healthy eating is a crucial issue directly linked to the promotion of national health, and a safe and hygienic food culture is an essential element in creating a healthy society.
As public interest in food safety has recently increased, the government and local authorities are striving to establish a safe food culture through various policies and projects. In particular, the restaurant hygiene grading system is an important system that helps consumers choose restaurants with confidence.
Paju City's award is a result of actively promoting food culture improvement projects with the health and safety of its citizens as the top priority, in line with these current trends. Paju City will continue to play a leading role in improving Korea's food culture through continuous efforts and innovative policies.
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