The Canadian government revealed the details of the new National School Food Program nationwide on 21 June 2024. The Canadian residents can explore everything about the food program in Canada for 2024-25 below.
Canada National School Food Program
The Canadian government committed $1 billion to the national school food policy for the five-year plan. The government aimed to provide nutritious food to over 400,000 kids by the end of the 2024-2025 school session.
Continuing the effort, the federal government has revealed the new policy to implement & deliver the Canada National School Food Program to ensure every kid is well-fed.
The Canada National School Food Program will provide school meals to more kids beyond the existing food programs. According to the government, the program is expected to provide two children of families that will save up to $584 annual grocery bills.
The Program will support food programs for Inuit, First Nations, and metis communities, Modern treaty partners, and self-governing partners who have the highest food insecurity rate in Canada.
Key objectives of the Canada National School Food Program
The Canadian government aimed to gain the following objectives through the Canada School Food Program:
- The food program ensures that every child in Canada has enough food when they learn and grow.
- The program aims to reduce the burden of parents especially, GenZ and millennial parents struggling with food bills due to the rising cost of grocery items in the country. The parents can be stress-free about their child being well-fed at the school.
- The programs aim to strengthen and support through investment in the local food infrastructure fund, urban gardens, community kitchens, food banks, greenhouses, and other projects led by Northern and Indigenous communities.
- Through the program, the government wants the children to develop healthy eating habits and promote food literacy and positive attitude toward food.
- The federal government aims to lay a foundation for a healthy and successful future for children.
How will the new policy for the Canada National School Food Program work?
The Canadian government is dedicated to providing healthy and nutritious school meals to children through School Food programs.
The government strives to make the program beneficial for every kid, the government engaged with provincial and territorial governments, stakeholders, experts, Canadians, and others to hear about the existing school’s food programs and developed the new policy for 2024-25.
The governments consult the relevant members to ensure the policy reflects the needs and goals of the program. The new policy focuses on the following points to increase the impact of the food program:
- The government is working toward universal access to the School food program so all Canadian kids can access the program regardless of their parents’ income, communities, etc. The government plans to deliver stigma-free environments for the students so children will not feel ashamed to participate in the program. Universal access includes having experts who will prioritize the students or communities who struggle to get nutritious foods.
- The government plans to expand the investment in food programs across the nation as per the requirement of the province to ensure a sustainable model of the food program that serves everyone’s needs.
- Under the policy, the government works hard to strengthen the partnership between provinces, Indigenous partners, stakeholders, and territories to ensure the smooth implementation and operation of the school food program and every child has access to healthy food at their schools.
In the 2024 federal budget, the government allocated $79 million to a food program for the initial year without depending on the Parliament to pass, the government is confident that the money will flow for the program.
The provincial, municipal, and territorial governments have announced $288 million to keep running the good work of the food program across Canada.
Impact of the Canada National School Food Program
The Canada School Food Program goes beyond food, let’s explore the impact of the program in Canada:
- Canada lacks the most child nutrition education or awareness in the world. According to reports, only one-third of children consume vegetables and fruits in their daily servings. The school food program has promoted healthy eating and proper diet among children which impacts the overall growth and development of the future generation of the country.
- The program will raise student attendance and scholastic achievements as healthy food strengthens their learning capability and catching power.
- The Canadian school food program would eventually boost the nation’s economy as the reports suggest that every $1 investment in the school food programs gets an ROI between $3 to $10 in countries like the US and the UK.
The Canadian government plans to achieve its goals of feeding over 400,000 kids in the country through the School Food program with its new policy. The government says it would take time to implement all the ideas on the ground, but the government has set its vision to reach its goals.
