The district's integrated three-element model — linking childcare centers and welfare facilities through meal guidance, dining environment improvements, and intergenerational exchange — earned high marks at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety-organized contest among 229 centers nationwide.
Gwangjin-gu has won an encouragement award at the 8th National School Meal Support Innovation Competition, organized by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, for an outstanding meal support initiative developed in the district.
The competition was designed to share and spread creative operational improvement cases identified at meal service sites and to raise the standard of meal management at small-scale childcare and social welfare facilities. It was open to meal management support centers across all 229 cities, counties and districts nationwide.
A total of 91 innovation cases were submitted from meal management support centers around the country. Of those, 16 passed the preliminary round and were evaluated through a scoring system combining expert review at 60 percent and regional center voting at 40 percent. Gwangjin-gu's entry was ultimately named among the encouragement award recipients.
Gwangjin-gu submitted a program called "Operation of an Integrated Three-Element Model for Improving the Dietary Environment," which links childcare centers and social welfare facilities through three components: meal guidance to help children develop healthy eating habits, a dining environment that ensures safety, hygiene and emotional comfort, and intergenerational exchange that brings children and elderly residents together through shared food culture.
The program was particularly praised for fostering natural interaction between children and elderly residents through shared food culture. Judges also recognized its creativity in expanding traditional hygiene- and nutrition-focused meal management to encompass emotional connection and social value, as well as its practical applicability in real-world settings.
"This achievement is the fruit of our staff's constant dedication and effort on the ground to ensure safe and healthy eating for our residents," Gwangjin-gu District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho said. "We will continue to draw on the expertise of our meal management support center to build a healthy dining environment where every generation — from children to the elderly — can eat with confidence and enjoyment."
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