BANGKOK — 28 May 2026, Bangkok’s education authority is rolling out stricter food safety and nutrition standards across schools under its jurisdiction, as part of an effort to tackle child obesity and improve student health.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Office of Education announced the measures on Wednesday, saying all schools must now follow standardised procedures for tracking meal quality under the Bangkok City for Better Health programme.
Schools are required to log ingredient receipts and photograph meals through the Thai School Lunch for BMA and TSL Check systems. Central kitchen schools must also store 300-gram food samples from every meal each day for three days for inspection purposes.
All schools must undergo a food sanitation assessment once per semester. Central kitchen schools are subject to monthly chemical and microbial testing, while other schools must carry out microbial checks monthly. Staff are also being trained to test for common contaminants, including borax in meat, formalin in seafood and bleaching agents in fruits and vegetables.
Office of Education Director Phissamai Rueangsin said child obesity is among the authority’s most pressing concerns, noting that half of Bangkok’s adult population is obese and that the figure among children is estimated to exceed 20 percent.
“We cannot solve this through rules and regulations alone,” she said. “It has to start with building good habits, with teachers serving as role models for healthy behaviour.”
The authority said the goal is to make Bangkok schools safe and sustainable environments for student health in the long term.
