Ruetz, AmberleyMichnik, KayleeEngler-Stringer, RachelAlaniz Salinas, NataliaDoyle, EmilyKirk, SaraKorten, DanaTasala, KirstiLevkoe, CharlesMartin, AliciaMercille, GenevieveHeckelman, AmberSmith, ChrissyRenwick, KerrySallans, AlissaOstertag, SonjaSkinner, KellyTrask, NinaWeber, NicoleHoyer, GaryMcKenna, Mary2024-05-242024-05-242024-05-24Ruetz, 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.https://hdl.handle.net/10388/15712The 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.enAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canadaschool food, Canada, case studies, food security, schools, meal programs, sustainability, school, food, how-toChild; Program Development; Charities; Canada; Health Education; Schools; Lunch; Food Services; Food SecurityTechnical Report