A photo published by Rodong Sinmun in 2022 emphasizing the importance of dairy products for children. (Rodong Sinmun - News1)

A rash of food poisoning cases was recently reported in Pyongyang by families who had consumed the dairy products that the North Korean government distributes to children under the age of five years old, Daily NK has learned.

A source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Tuesday that around a dozen parents and children under the age of five in the Taesong District of Pyongyang were taken to the hospital after reporting symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting.

An investigation found that everyone in the group began to experience symptoms after consuming dairy products supplied by their neighborhood government office.

Children in North Korea are given dairy products, including powdered milk and fresh milk, as one of the North Korean government’s flagship childcare initiatives. North Korea is currently combating an extremely low birth rate.

During the third plenary session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party in June 2021, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced that the party would provide nutritious food, including dairy products, to children around the country at the state’s expense.

Since then, the North Korean government has focused on expanding goat farms and installing more milk production equipment. In February, the Supreme People’s Assembly adopted a law that seeks to guarantee outstanding childcare conditions by providing children with dairy products and other nutritious food for free.

But while the output of dairy products may have increased, North Korea does not have enough refrigerated facilities in which to store those products.

It is thought that the spate of food poisoning cases was the result of distributing dairy products in the absence of refrigerated facilities for storing and transporting them at a low temperature.

A considerable number of families in North Korea do not have a refrigerator, and even those that do cannot use their refrigerators as intended because electricity is not available 24 hours a day.

Since the neighborhood offices that are responsible for dairy product distribution are often not equipped with a refrigerator, they are unable to store dairy products for long. Generally, a refrigerated truck makes its rounds to several neighborhood offices, which then immediately distribute the dairy products to residents, the source said.

But because there are not many refrigerated trucks, they are not able to visit all neighborhood offices on a daily basis, which means that dairy products are actually distributed about once a week. And if a family is unable to collect their dairy products at the appointed time, the products must be temporarily stored at the neighborhood office, where they often go bad.

“Because unrefrigerated dairy products need to be consumed quickly, they are often eaten by not only the children but the parents as well. That’s why adults also complained of food poisoning symptoms in the recent episode,” the source said.

“Providing children with dairy products is important, but how can fresh products be distributed when there aren’t any refrigerators or power? If the supply of dairy products is increased without setting up more refrigerators, we’ll see a repeat of this kind of incident,” he added. 

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