Gyeonggi Office of Education Expands Voluntary Meal Selection to 527 Schools

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education will significantly expand the number of schools operating autonomous choice meals to 527 schools this year.

Autonomous choice meals are a new form of school meals where students regulate their own portion sizes through self-serving, select meal options 2 to 3 times a week according to each school's circumstances, and operate leafy vegetable bars (salad bars) to increase vegetable intake.

The Office of Education announced on the 9th that it plans to expand the number of schools operating autonomous choice meals from 250 schools last year to 527 schools this year.

Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education

Through the expanded operation of autonomous choice meals, the Office of Education plans to provide healthy and more balanced, high-quality school meals and also strengthen nutrition and dietary education for students.

Previously, a survey conducted by the Office of Education last year targeting 17,897 students and 5,227 parents from schools operating autonomous choice meals showed satisfaction rates of 92.6% among students and 90.3% among parents. Additionally, 96% of students and 91.2% of parents expressed a desire for continued operation.

The benefits of autonomous choice meals were identified as ▲ helping to understand appropriate portion sizes and promoting healthy eating habits (94.7%) ▲ aiding in the practice of not leaving food uneaten (92.6%) ▲ increasing experience with trying new ingredients (89.1%).

Meanwhile, the Office of Education plans to pilot autonomous choice meals at 15 public single-establishment kindergartens this year to support healthy growth through diverse meal experiences and nutrition and dietary education from early childhood.