Characteristics of Canadian school food programs funded by provinces and territories

Abstract

Given the complexity of school food programs (SFPs) in Canada and recent political developments, this research provides a systematic examination of provincially and territorially-funded SFPs during the 2018/19 school year. Relevant literature and the RE-AIM Framework, a planning and evaluation tool developed by Glasgow, Boles & Vogt (1999), informed the development of an electronic survey sent to leads in each province and territory to assess SFP Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance. Results from 24 surveys (16 from provincial/territorial ministries/ departments, supplemented by surveys from 8 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), indicate considerable variability across Canada. Collectively, provinces and territories contributed over $93 million to support a minimum of 6,159 programs in 5,186 JK-12 schools, funding free breakfasts, snacks, and/or lunches for a minimum of 1,018,323 or 20% of students (based on limited data in some jurisdictions). The majority of provinces and territories partner with one or more NGOs and rely heavily on NGO staff and volunteers. Program demand often exceeds supply and monitoring is inconsistent. This research, which provide an important but incomplete picture of SFPs in Canada, indicate the value of future discussions about SFP administration, especially about program mandates, student reach and universality, sustainability and resources, and monitoring based on nationally-harmonized metrics. The results offer opportunities to explore promising organizational practices, enhanced collaboration, and sharing of expertise, all of which would assist with developing the National School Food Program proposed in the 2019 federal budget.

Unwrapping school lunch

“…Yet, to do so, the caring labour of feeding others and taking the time to know, see, and support students' food and care needs must be recognized and valued as a part of school food programs (Gaddis, 2019). While there is no robust publicly available measure of the funding for or availability of paid school food staff in Canada or British Columbia, a recent survey of school food programs across Canada suggests that the majority of provinces and territories are heavily reliant on volunteer labour and in-kind contributions from non-governmental partners (Ruetz & McKenna, 2021). The value of care work and meaningful relationships formed between students and the former program's food workers did not appear to be on the school district's radar and was not part of the formal job duties of teachers or noon-hour supervisors who were chiefly responsible for monitoring safety and promoting acceptable student behaviour during lunchtime.…”

“…While there is minimal federal or provincial oversight of existing programs (Hernandez et al, 2018), Ruetz & McKenna (2021) estimate that provinces and territories contribute over $90 million annually to partially support a variety of free school food programs which serve over one in five Canadian students, often implemented in partnership with non-governmental organizations and highly reliant on volunteer labour. Research reveals a diverse array of models for funding and delivery of school food programs across the country, of which only a fraction are lunch programs (Everitt et al, 2020;Ruetz & McKenna, 2021). For example, in British Columbia (BC), the province where this study took place, no specific governmental funding for school lunch programs exists.…”

“…Some school districts or individual schools also organize their own ad hoc lunch programs using diverse program designs, including those led by parent groups, non-profit organizations, or run by the schools or districts themselves drawing on a mix of funding sources (BC Teachers' Federation, 2015). There remains a notable lack of comprehensive or publicly available data which has documented the number, variety, reach or effectiveness of school lunch programs in BC (Ruetz & McKenna, 2021).…”

COVID-19 School Re-opening Plans: Rolling Back School Food Programming in Canada?

“…Prior to the pandemic, a minimum of 1,018,323 JK-12 Canadian students 3 participated in free breakfast, snack and to a lesser degree lunch programs. These SFPs have multifaceted, but varying mandates (Ruetz and McKenna, 2021), with benefits including access to healthy fresh food choices, improving learning capacities, promoting nutritional awareness, assisting food-insecure households, and promoting local food procurement (Oostindjer et al, 2017). Together, provincial and territorial governments contributed over $93 million to partially fund a minimum of 6,408 programs in 5,371 or at least 35% 4 elementary and secondary schools (Ruetz and McKenna, 2021).…”

“…These SFPs have multifaceted, but varying mandates (Ruetz and McKenna, 2021), with benefits including access to healthy fresh food choices, improving learning capacities, promoting nutritional awareness, assisting food-insecure households, and promoting local food procurement (Oostindjer et al, 2017). Together, provincial and territorial governments contributed over $93 million to partially fund a minimum of 6,408 programs in 5,371 or at least 35% 4 elementary and secondary schools (Ruetz and McKenna, 2021). The majority of provinces and territories partner with one or more nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and rely heavily on NGO staff and volunteers to operate.…”