Bangkok schoolchildren are being allowed to vote for their breakfast and lunch menus under a campaign launched on Tuesday.

“Choose Your Nutritious School Meals” kicked off at Surao Siro School (Rat Samakkhi) in Saphan Sung district under the watchful eye of Deputy Bangkok governor Sanon Wangsrangboon.

The campaign, initiated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in partnership with supplier of school meal ingredients Be Genius, lets students, parents and teachers vote for the breakfast and lunch menus served in schools.

Sanon said Surao Siro School was selected as the pilot institution for the campaign, to provide the model for other schools in the metropolitan area.

“Choose Your Nutritious School Meals” offers a variety of delicious, healthy meals to choose from, the BMA said. All menus comply with Thai School Lunch for BMA standard for nutrition and quantity according to age group.

The list also comes complete with a table of nutrients and calorie count for each dish so parents can keep track of their children’s food intake.

“Food is important for students as nutritious meals aid children’s brain development,” said Sanon. “However, we also want to cater to the needs of consumers by letting them vote for what they want to eat at school.”

Sanon said the campaign also promotes transparent management of school meals while ensuring that all nutritional requirements are met. “The aim is not to select the lowest bidder as food provider, but to meet quality and nutritional standards as well.”

The campaign also encourages children to choose their meals via a voting procedure similar to the one that will be used in the upcoming general election.

“Today, children are also learning about the democratic process, but instead of electing a representative they are casting their votes for meals,” Sanon said.

Tuesday saw students at the school cast their votes for 12 breakfast menus and 15 lunch menus. The menus with the highest votes will be served up to students from March 21.