Trend: Organic, Pesticide-free School Lunches in Japan

The 2nd National Nanohana Blossom Summit was held in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, on 11-12 December 2021

By Tasaka Koa

This conference was attended by the mayor of Oyama, the mayor of Isumi, and the mayor of Kisarazu, as well as Mr. Sameda Susumu, a city official who has been promoting organic school lunches in Isumi. They discussed the promotion of organic farming, protection of natural monuments such as the crested ibis, and preservation of the environment.

Isumi in Chiba Prefecture has been promoting the use of locally grown organic and pesticide-free rice and vegetables for school lunches instead of imported wheat bread contaminated with pesticides. It is a city that has decided to supply organic and pesticide-free rice for school lunches at all of its elementary and junior high schools, under the guidance of the late Mr. Inaba of a local rice research institute. They achieved the goal of supplying organic and pesticide-free rice for school lunches in all elementary and junior high schools in Isumi by 2019, as well as eight kinds of vegetables grown organically and pesticide-free to be served at school lunches.

Next, it was reported that Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture is currently implementing a special program for farmers to produce organic and pesticide-free rice and vegetables to serve as school lunches for elementary and junior high schools in Kisarazu.

Based on these reports, the mayor of Oyama in Tochigi Prefecture decided to do the same in Oyama and convert school lunches to organic, pesticide-free foods. To this end, the Oyama City Organic Agriculture Council was established and a local rice research institute in Tochigi Prefecture was assigned to provide technical guidance to organic rice growers.