By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has drawn global attention for its efforts to provide healthy meals for children, receiving the top prize at the Milan Pact Awards during the 10th anniversary Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) Global Forum 2025, which brought together 336 cities from around the world.

The award ceremony took place on Oct. 15 at Piccolo Teatro Studio Melato in Milan, Italy, where the SMG received a trophy and a cash prize of €20,000.

Since joining the MUFPP in 2015, the SMG has actively engaged in international cooperation and policy exchange, earning its first recognition in 2018 with a special award in the “Food Supply and Distribution” category.

This year, the SMG’s “Healthy Food Environment for Preschool Children” initiative was highly praised for its structure, public value, and scalability, earning the top prize in the “Sustainable Diets and Nutrition” category. What drives the initiative is Seoul’s Centers for Children’s Foodservice Management, which provide standardized nutrition and hygiene systems for small childcare meal facilities that lack professional dietitians.

First launched in 2011 in Seongbuk, Nowon, Gangseo, Eunpyeong, and Geumcheon-gu, the centers gradually expanded to all 25 districts by 2021. Today, the centers regularly support around 4,800 childcare meal facilities across Seoul, providing meal and snack management, hygiene monitoring, nutrition education for children, as well as training for kitchen staff and childcare teachers to ensure safe, healthy eating.

The international judging panel praised the SMG’s initiative for promoting fairness and sustainability by standardizing hygiene, nutrition, and safety standards across small childcare meal facilities. They also noted that the SMG’s governance model, which connects the metropolitan government, district offices, and field agencies, demonstrates strong potential for adoption by other major cities.

Building on this, the SMG plans to further strengthen its position as a “sustainable food city.” The plan focuses on advancing integrated food policies for future generations by expanding low-carbon diets in response to the climate crisis, promoting local production and consumption to shorten distribution stages, providing tailored nutrition support for vulnerable groups, and reducing food waste. For more information, visit the Seoul Food and Nutrition Center website (www.seoulnutri.co.kr).