Release of the National School Food Policy!

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Author: admin

Posted: June 20, 2024

Categories: GoodFoodBites / Local Procurement / Policy News / School Food News / Schools

Today, the Government of Canada released its much-anticipated National School Food Policy, which identifies the vision “That all children and youth in Canada have access to nutritious food at school, in an inclusive, non-stigmatizing environment that fosters healthy practices, while strengthening connections with local food systems, the environment and culture.”

The Policy identifies the following Principles to work towards the Policy’s vision: Accessible, Health promoting, Inclusive, Flexible, Sustainable, and Accountable.

It also states the following objectives:

Work progressively towards the long-term goal of universal access
Expand investment in school food so that programs can operate sustainably
Help children meet their nutritional and health needs, develop healthful food-related behaviours and attitudes, as well as food and nutrition knowledge and skills
Promote programming that is culturally appropriate, relevant, and inclusive
Create opportunities for local economies and reflect of local and regional circumstances

We are very pleased at how closely the Policy aligns with the Coalition for Healthy School Food (of which Sustain Ontario is a member)’s 8 Guiding Principles and recommendations, which have been developed based on research and best practices from Canada and around the world.

Check out the Coalition’s blog post with some of the highlights of the policy.

You can also read the Government’s news release and the announcement on CPAC.