Expo attracts more than 75,000 visitors; ‘Black Friday for Agricultural Produce’ and ‘School Meal Recipes Audition’ both popular features

◇ G-FOOD Biennale 2015, a comprehensive agriculture expo co-hosted and supervised by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the Gyeonggi Green and Agriculture Foundation, came to a close on November 22 in a resounding success. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News

G-FOOD Biennale 2015, a comprehensive agriculture expo co-hosted and supervised by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the Gyeonggi Green and Agriculture Foundation’, came to a close on November 22 in a resounding success.

According to the provincial government, approximately 75,000 people visited the expo in which 13 cities and counties showcased local produce and specialties at 252 booths, making the G-FOOD Biennale the largest comprehensive agricultural expo hosted by a single municipality.

A Gyeonggi Province official said that the ‘Black Friday for Agricultural Produce’ event drove the expo’s success as it offered people a chance to purchase agricultural products from Gyeonggi Province at prices discounted up to 60% from the normal retail price. 

The provincial government also announced that the ‘Local Food Promotion’ event – featuring activities such as making rice cake, roasting beans, making Korean traditional sweets, a rice sack endurance competition, and the longest pear peel in which 13 cities and counties participated – was popular among visitors.

The province also hosted a briefing session for the opening of Alibaba China (the largest online shopping mall in China) and a forum to discuss strategies for entry into the Chinese market during the expo to foster global food business opportunities for the agricultural specialties of Gyeonggi Province. 

◇ The province hosted a briefing session for the opening of Alibaba China (the largest online shopping mall in China) and a forum to discuss strategies for entry into the Chinese market during the expo to foster global food business opportunities for the agricultural specialties of Gyeonggi Province. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News

The most popular event, however, was the final stage of the ‘Eco-friendly School Meal Recipes Audition’ in which students cooked school meals themselves. The audition grabbed people’s attention as it encouraged not only primary, middle, and high school students but also parents and nutritionists to think about school meal menus. 

Seven finalists were selected for the audition finals based on a public evaluation process by an on-site judging panel. The Grand Prize went to the Guardians of High School Health team which served up a tofu hamburger steak with spinach under the theme of ‘Health and tasty high school meals’. They received high marks for creativity, healthiness, and cost effectiveness. The seven award winners also received award certificates from Gyeonggi Province and will be offered the chance to train overseas. 

In addition, six teams out of 26 that entered the main round of the ‘Gyeonggi Province Delicacy Competition’ set menu division won various awards, while 19 out of 74 finalists for the home-brewed liquor selection event won awards. 

A Gyeonggi Province official said, “This year’s G-FOOD Biennale was an opportunity to introduce agricultural specialties produced in Gyeonggi Province and share the provincial vision for agriculture. It was even more successful thanks to the sheer number of domestic distributors, exporters, producer’s associations, and farmers participating in the expo.

ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News | Lee So-young leesy8127@naver.com 

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