▲ 언론브리핑을 하는 정기현 대전시의원     © 김정환 기자

대전시가 지난 2019년도부터 친환경 우수농산물 급식비용을 어린이집, 유치원 고교까지 확대 지원키로 했다고 발표했었다.

 

그런데 정작 유치원과 어린이집에서는 시에서 위탁받은 사회적기업을 통해 현물로 지원되고 있었다.

 

여기에 유치원의 식재료 계약 평균 단가가 일반 초등학교에 비해 월등히 높거나 신선도가 떨어지는 등의 문제가 있다는 주장이 제기됐다. 일선 유치원의 99%가 불만을 표시하기도 했다.

 

정기현 대전시의원(유성3, 민주당)은 15일 오전 기자간담회를 갖고 “로컬푸드가 친환경농산물은 아니다. 친환경급식을 한다고 해놓고 기만하는 결과가 돼 소비자인 영유아의 학부모와 교직원들로부터 불신을 초래하고 있다”고 비판했다.

 

정 의원은 이날 △현물로 지급하는 로컬푸드는 공급양만 늘려 급식질 향상 불가, △1주분 농산물 주1회 공급해 농산물 신선도 저하, △높은 수수료(28%)와 소포장 꾸러미 배송으로 가격경쟁력 저하, △로컬푸드 생산농가 소외 여전, △어린이집과 유치원별 식재료 현물공급으로 가격차 4.6배 발생, △가공식품 제조해 끼워 팔기 등의 문제를 지적했다.

 

정기현 의원이 제공한 자료에 따르면, 지난해 5월과 6월 품목별 초등학교 식재료 계약 평균단가와 사립유치원에 제공되는 로컬푸드 현물공급인 ‘꾸러미’ 단가는 10kg 백미는 친환경 단가 3만1450원임에도 유치원 꾸러미에는 3만5,970원으로 훨씬 비쌌다. 두부는 친환경이 2430원이었지만, 꾸러미는 3190원이었으며, 느타리버섯(400g)은 기준 친환경 1700원, 꾸러미 2220원이었다.

 

수박은 친환경 1만2600원, 꾸러미는 1만8750원이었고, 블루베리(700g)는 일반농산물 4900원, 꾸러미 1만9440원으로 약 4배 가까이 높았다. 새송이버섯(400g) 친환경 2800원, 꾸러미 5970원으로 2배 이상 비싼 것으로 조사됐다.

 

지역농민들의 꾸러미납품도 영농법인과 타지역 농가가 60%를 넘게 점유하고 있는 것으로 나타났다.

 

지난해 꾸러미 참여농가 현황을 보면 대전지역은 89개 농가가 참여했으며, 타지역 농가는 2곳이었다. 지역 농가 참여율은 37.9% 수준이었다. 또 대전지역 영농법인 7곳과 타지역 영농법인 8곳이 각각 참여했으며, 지역영농법인은 44.9% 수준이었다. 지역농가와 영농법인의 총 공급액은 23억 원 수준이었다. 타지역 공급액은 4억8천만 원이었다.

 

또 지난해 유치원별 로컬푸드 꾸러미 공급현황을 보면, 1인당 공급액은 대덕구의 A유치원이 3만1436원으로 가장 낮았고, 이어 동구의 B유치원이 3만3789원이었다. 반면에 최다 공급을 보면 동구의 C유치원은 1인당 공급액이 14만6221원이었고, 중구 D유치원은 14만1901원으로 A와 B유치원에 비해 최고 4.65배가량 차이 났다.

 

정기현 의원이 대전시교육청을 통해 받은 자료에 따르면, 일부 사립유치원에 지원되고 있는 로컬푸드 꾸러미 30개 품목 중에 친환경은 대파(1kg,6250원)와 양배추(1통,5830원) 뿐이었다.

 

특히, 유성구 로컬푸드통합지원센터 운영주체이면서 꾸러미를 유통하고 있는 사회적협동조합 품앗이마을은 2019년에는 1억9363만원, 2020년에는 1억8109만원 상당의 두부와 맛간장을 가공해 공급하기도 했다. 품앗이마을은 꾸러미사업의 전체예산 중 농산물 공급의 28%, 쌀‧가공식품 18%의 대행수수료를 받고 있었다.

 

보육현장에서도 불만의 목소리가 높았다. 대전사립유치원연합회 측은 지난 9일 대전시의회에 보낸 공문을 보면, 국‧공립유치원의 경우 친환경농산물 구매비용을 현금으로 지원해 급식의 질과 운영이 용이한 반면에 사립유치원과 어린이집에는 현물로 지원을 받아 신선도 저하, 식단과 불일치한 현물로 운영 불편, 불합리하게 높은 금액, 친환경 신뢰 저하 등의 문제가 있다고 했다.

 

연합회 측이 대전지역 148개 사립유치원을 상대로 조사를 한 결과 0.33%만이 현재 방식에 만족하고 있었고, 99.67%가 만족하지 못하고 있다는 응답을 보였다고 했다.

 

연합회 측은 국‧공립유치원과 동일한 친환경농산물 구입비의 현금지원, 지원단가의 현실화, 어린이집과 동일한 245일 지원 등을 요구했다.

 

*아래는 위 기사를 구글 번역기로 번역한 영문 기사의 [전문]이다. [Below is the [full text] of an English article translated from the above article with Google Translate.

                                                                 Reporter  Jeong-Hwan KIM

 

[City Councilman Ki-Hyun Jung, "99.6% of'Local Food' that paid in-kind daycare centers opposed"]

 

Daejeon City announced that it has decided to expand support for the cost of feeding excellent eco-friendly agricultural products to daycare centers, kindergartens, and high schools from 2019. However, in kindergartens, they were supported in kind through social enterprises entrusted by the city. In addition, it was argued that the average unit price of food ingredients in kindergartens was significantly higher than that of ordinary elementary schools, or that there was a problem with poor freshness. 99% of frontline kindergartens also complained.

Daejeon City Councilman Jeong Ki-hyun (Yooseong 3, Democratic Party) held a press conference on the morning of the 15th and said, “Local food is not an eco-friendly agricultural product. It is a result of being deceived after saying that it is an eco-friendly meal, which is causing distrust from parents and school staff of infants and toddlers, who are consumers,” he criticized.

On this day, △Local food paid in-kind cannot improve the quality of meals by increasing the supply, △Providing agricultural products for one week once a week to reduce freshness of agricultural products, △High commission (28%) and small package delivery to reduce price competitiveness, △ They pointed out problems such as the alienation of local food producers, △4.6 times the price difference due to the supply of food ingredients by daycare centers and kindergartens, and △manufacturing and selling processed foods.

Some local food items, more expensive than eco-friendly

According to the data provided by Rep. Ki-Hyun Jung, the average unit price of elementary school ingredients for each item in May and June last year and the unit price of'package', which is a local food supply to private kindergartens, is 10 kg. It was much more expensive at 35,970 won. The eco-friendly tofu was 2430 won, but the package was 3190 won, and the oyster mushroom (400g) was eco-friendly 1700 won and the package 2,220 won. Watermelon was eco-friendly 12,600 won, package was 18,750 won, and blueberry (700g) was 4,900 won for general agricultural products, and package was 19,440 won, which was almost four times higher. It was found to be more than twice as expensive as Sae Songi Mushroom (400g) eco-friendly 2800 won and 5970 won for a package.

It was found that more than 60% of the package delivery by local farmers were also occupied by farming corporations and farm households in other regions.

Looking at the current status of participating farms in the package last year, 89 farms in the Daejeon area participated, and 2 farms in other areas. The participation rate of local farms was 37.9%. In addition, 7 farming corporations in Daejeon and 8 farming corporations in other regions participated, respectively, and the number of local farming corporations was 44.9%. The total supply of local farms and farming corporations was around 2.3 billion won. The supply to other regions was 480 million won.

In addition, when looking at the supply of local food packages by kindergarten last year, the supply per person was the lowest in Daedeok-gu A kindergarten at 3,1436 won, followed by B kindergarten in Dong-gu at 33789 won. On the other hand, when looking at the largest supply, C kindergarten in Dong-gu amounted to 146221 won per person, while D kindergarten in Jung-gu was 141,901 won, up 4.65 times higher than that of kindergartens A and B.

According to the data received by Rep. Jeong Ki-Hyun through the Daejeon City Office of Education, only green onions (1 kg, 6250 won) and cabbage (1 barrel, 5830 won) were eco-friendly among the 30 local food packages that are supported by some private kindergartens.

In particular, Poomati Village, a social cooperative that operates the Yuseong-gu Local Food Integration Support Center and distributes packages, processed and supplied tofu and flavored soy sauce worth KRW 193.63 million in 2019 and KRW 18.109 million in 2020. Pumasi Village was receiving agency commissions of 28% of the agricultural product supply and 18% of rice and processed foods out of the total budget for the package business.

99.6% dissatisfied with the in-kind supply of childcare sites

The voice of dissatisfaction was high even at the nursery site. According to an official letter sent to the Daejeon City Council on the 9th of the Daejeon Private Kindergarten Association, government and public kindergartens provide cash for purchasing eco-friendly agricultural products to facilitate the quality and operation of meals, while private kindergartens and daycare centers received support in kind. There were problems such as deterioration of freshness, inconvenience of operation due to inconsistent with the diet, unreasonably high amount of money, and decrease in eco-friendly trust.

As a result of a survey of 148 private kindergartens in the Daejeon area, only 0.33% of the association said that they were satisfied with the current method, and 99.67% answered that they were not satisfied.

The association requested cash support for the purchase cost of eco-friendly agricultural products identical to those of national and public kindergartens, realization of the support unit price, and the same 245 days as childcare centers.