On April 1, 2024, the Government of Canada announced a $1 billion investment over 5 years in a National School Food Program, delivering on its 2021 election platform commitment. Congratulations to the Government of Canada on this historic achievement, and thank you to the many staff and decision-makers that made it possible for their collaboration. This investment will have a profound positive impact on the lives of children and families today and for years to come. It is a momentous step toward transforming school food environments in Canada as we know them.
Farm to Cafeteria Canada exists to transform how food is experienced, learned and celebrated in all schools across Canada. We welcome this announcement with great enthusiasm and look forward to scaling-up our work with organizational and school community partners across the country to develop and grow comprehensive school food programs that are designed by and for school communities to meet their individual needs and goals. Not only do school food programs provide the nutrition that children need to learn and grow, they provide a unique opportunity to bring curriculum to life through hands-on learning about food and food systems, and to support the livelihoods of local farmers and other local food providers in communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
This investment comes after years of organizing by the Coalition for Health School Food, Canada’s largest school food network at 298-members. Since it was established in 2014, the Coalition has been calling for a national school food program in line with its 8 Guiding Principles, specifically one that supports healthy eating, is universally accessible without stigma, is cost-shared, flexibly supports different program models to meet the unique needs of communities, is controlled by Indigenous leadership in Indigenous communities, is a driver of community economic development, promotes food literacy, and is supported by conflict-of-interest safeguards. F2CC wholeheartedly endorses these principles and is proud to be a member and partner of the Coalition. We wish to extend our deepest gratitude to the Coalition’s Leadership, to our fellow members and endorsers, and to the students, parents, educators and school food program leaders who champion and demonstrate the benefits of school food through their efforts in schools across Canada every day.
The essential financial capacity this investment will bring to school communities presents a tremendous opportunity to reimagine school food environments in Canada. The F2CC team is excited for the possibilities ahead as it continues to build on its work to Grow, Connect, Fund and Inform school food programs in Canada.
Read more about this exciting announcement in the Coalition’s for Healthy School Food’s media release and on CBC News.
Related links:
- What We Heard Report
- F2CC Position Statement on a pan-Canadian school food policy – 2022 consultations
