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Busan Metropolitan City: “No More Concerns About Pesticide Residues” in Agricultural Products Supplied for School Meals at the Start of the New Semester

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Busan Metropolitan City Institute of Health & Environment announced that safety inspections conducted on agricultural products supplied to institutional food service facilities, including schools, at the start of the new school semester in March found that all tested items met the permissible safety standards.

The inspection focused on food ingredients commonly used in institutional food service facilities among agricultural products currently in distribution. From February 9 to 13, the institute collected 20 samples of agricultural products over five days and conducted detailed analyses covering 480 pesticide residue items as well as heavy metals (lead and cadmium).

By category, the samples included 14 vegetable items such as lettuce, spinach, green onions, and cabbage; 2 mushroom items including king oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms; 1 potato item (root crop); 2 rice items (grains); and 1 bean sprout item (processed agricultural product). The analysis confirmed that all agricultural products were within the allowable safety limits.

In addition to this inspection, the institute maintains a year-round safety monitoring system in cooperation with Eco-friendly Agricultural Product Meal Support Centers established in Gijang-gun, Gangseo-gu, and Geumjeong-gu.

According to data from 2025, an inspection of 195 eco-friendly certified agricultural products supplied through these centers to more than 600 kindergartens and elementary, middle, high, and special schools across Busan (152 pesticide-free and 43 organic products) also confirmed that pesticide residues and heavy metals were all managed safely within allowable limits.

The institute will continue to conduct periodic customized intensive inspections that reflect agricultural consumption trends and seasonal risk factors. In particular, it plans to carry out proactive inspections ahead of the start of school semesters to prevent non-compliant food ingredients from entering the supply chain.

Lee Yong-ju, Director of the Busan Metropolitan City Institute of Health & Environment, stated, “The start of a new school semester is a crucial period when students’ nutritional intake is especially important, and the safety of meal ingredients is a non-negotiable principle.” He added, “We will continue to thoroughly inspect food ingredients distributed to institutional food service facilities to create a healthy school meal environment.”