A Scottish council which pioneered locally sourced and organic school meals is to offer all its 16,500 pupils the chance to earn "ethical" reward points for overseas aid by eating healthy school dinners.

From today, schoolchildren in East Ayrshire will earn points to help buy farm animals, food supplies and medical supplies and equip classrooms for projects run by development charity Save the Children.

The project is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, and is seen as a more "holistic" strategy for encouraging healthy eating than schemes that reward children with iPods, concert tickets and book tokens for eating school dinners.

East Ayrshire is one of many councils trying to combat unhealthy eating and increase the numbers eating school meals. Scots have among the worst diets in Europe, but new legislation to improve school catering in 2006, partly influenced by Jamie Oliver's campaigning, led to a fall in pupils taking school meals.

The project is expected to earn at least £3,250 towards Save the Children gifts over the next six months. To reach that target, pupils must eat 650,000 school dinners. Every 10 meals earns one point, with the points pooled into a fund.

Children at the 44 primary schools and nine secondaries will then vote on how to spend their points, choosing items from Save the Children's online donations catalogue. Current gifts range from 40 chickens, at a cost of 15 points, to a bicycle for 780 points and classrooms for 12,500.

Robin Gourlay, the council official who devised the scheme, said: "It's about making a difference; even if it's a small difference, that's worthwhile."

If the six-month pilot succeeds, it will be extended for another year.