Food and drug safety ministry issues first meal guidelines for children with rare diseases

The food and drug safety ministry announced it has established the nation's first meal safety management guidelines specifically for children with rare diseases. The new directives cover 29 specific conditions and will be distributed to catering support centers nationwide.

The guidelines include detailed information on the main characteristics and symptoms of each disease, along with lists of restricted and substitute foods. They also provide instructions on how to verify ingredient labels and outline specific roles for catering staff to ensure a safe dining environment.

Previously, catering staff often lacked systematic information and relied heavily on guardians for safety details. The ministry addressed this by conducting a full survey of more than 33,000 children's catering facilities supported by local centers, using the data to select the 29 diseases covered.

The initiative originated from a public policy proposal submitted last August by a patient group representative. The ministry initially reflected four diseases in related guidelines last October but expanded the scope following further feedback from the field in March.

Copies of the guidelines will be sent to 238 municipal catering management support centers across the country for use by nutritionists. The ministry also plans to share the documents with the Education Ministry and other relevant agencies. Additionally, the materials will be posted on the ministry's website and the Korea Food Safety Information Service portal.

Oh Yu-kyung, head of the food and drug safety ministry, visited a catering center in Pyeongtaek ahead of a briefing session to conduct hand-washing education for 18 local daycare children. She emphasized that proper hygiene is the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases and pledged continued support for dietary education.

"We hope these guidelines become the first step toward an environment where children with rare diseases are not excluded and can receive safe meals," Oh said.

Lee Eun-young, vice chair of the Korea Rare and Intractable Disease Association, welcomed the move. "Meal management for children with rare diseases has been a difficult area in the field," Lee said. "We expect these guidelines to reduce the burden on parents and staff while helping to provide safer meals for children."