Winners of 'Local Production for Local Consumption Outstanding Initiatives Award' Honored

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The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan announced the winners of the Seventh Local Production for Local Consumption Outstanding Initiatives Award on March 1, 2013. For the regional development category, Fuji City School Lunch Local Products Introduction Council in Shizuoka Prefecture, which promotes the introduction of local products to school lunches, received the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award.

The challenges to be considered for using local products in school lunches are "price," "standards," and "quantity." Based on these aspects, the council researched the transaction volume of local products in the local wholesale market. The council then estimated the available amounts of local products for school lunches and established a delivery system that allows a stable supply of local products at the required standard through the markets. This system benefits three parties, enabling producers to promote their products, distributors to ensure stable customers and a reliable school lunch service using local products.

As a result, the ratio of prefectural products in lunches improved from 28.6 percent in fiscal 2006 to an average of 41.9 percent in fiscal 2011 in all of the schools in Fuji City.