School Food Programs in Canada: 15 Promising Cases
Date
2024-05-24
Authors
Ruetz, Amberley
Michnik, Kaylee
Engler-Stringer, Rachel
Alaniz Salinas, Natalia
Doyle, Emily
Kirk, Sara
Korten, Dana
Tasala, Kirsti
Levkoe, Charles
Martin, Alicia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Saskatchewan and Coalition for Healthy School Food
ORCID
Type
Technical Report
Degree Level
Abstract
The Government of Canada’s April 2024 announcement of a National School Food Program has made documenting promising school food models in Canada particularly timely. While Canada has never had a national program, there has been school food innovation at various scales across communities for decades. However, few studies describe the range of current Canadian school food program models. Canada’s patchwork of different school food programs, often volunteer-run and funded by provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, local and national charities, and in some programs, parental contribution, presents an opportunity to document the range of practices. Many elementary schools in Canada do not have an industrial kitchen or a cafeteria/ designated eating area yet manage exemplary school food programs which other schools in similar contexts can learn from.
The promising school food programs in this report illustrate the innovation that is already happening to support the health, education and overall well-being of children in communities in Canada. This report responds to a need for insight into the operational details of school food programs that exist to meet the diverse needs of communities across Canada. This report is the first in a series that will form a how-to guide for school food program development for the Canadian context. Understanding how promising school food program models operate across a range of geographies, scales, cost models, and more, can help school food program practitioners, researchers, and educators think about and apply promising practices and methods to school food programming.
Description
Keywords
school food, Canada, case studies, food security, schools, meal programs, sustainability, school, food, how-to
Citation
Ruetz, A.T., Michnik, K., Engler-Stringer, R., et al. (2024). School Food Programs in Canada: 15 Promising Cases. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan and Coalition for Healthy School Food.
Degree
Department
Program
Advisor
Committee
Citation
Ruetz, A.T., Michnik, K., Engler-Stringer, R., et al. (2024). School Food Programs in Canada: 15 Promising Cases. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan and Coalition for Healthy School Food.
Part Of
School Food How-To Guide
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