The case for a Canadian national school food program

Hernandez, Kimberley; Engler‐Stringer, Rachel; Kirk, Sara; Wittman, Hannah; McNicholl, Sasha

doi:10.15353/cfs-rcea.v5i3.260

Cited by 24 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…To our knowledge, no research has examined the nutritional quality of products donated to school nutrition programs. Protecting children from the possible commercial interests of food companies donating food to school nutrition programs provides another argument in support of a government-funded national school food program that many organizations and academics are currently advocating for in Canada [48,49].…”

Section: Csr Initiatives and Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

The physical activity and nutrition-related corporate social responsibility initiatives of food and beverage companies in Canada and implications for public health

et al. 2020

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Background: As diet-related diseases have increased over the past decades, large food companies have come under scrutiny for contributing to this public health crisis. In response, the food industry has implemented Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives related to nutrition and physical activity to emphasize their concern for consumers. This study sought to describe the nature and targeted demographic of physical activity and nutrition-related CSR initiatives of large food companies in Canada and to compare companies who participate in the Canadian Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CAI), a self-regulatory initiative aimed at reducing unhealthy food advertising to children, with non-participating companies. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016. Thirty-nine large food companies, including 18 participating in the CAI, were included in the study. The webpages, Facebook pages and corporate reports of these companies were surveyed to identify CSR initiatives related to nutrition and physical activity. Initiatives were then classified by type (as either philanthropic, education-oriented, research-oriented or other) and by targeted demographic (i.e. targeted at children under 18 years or the general population). Differences between CAI and non-CAI companies were tested using chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: Overall, 63 CSR initiatives were identified; 39 were nutrition-related while 24 were physical activity-related. Most (70%) initiatives were considered philanthropic activities, followed by education-oriented (20%), researchoriented (8%) and other (2%). Almost half (47%; n = 29) of initiatives targeted children. Examples of child-targeted initiatives included support of school milk programs (n = 2), the sponsorship of children's sports programs (n = 2) and the development of educational resources for teachers (n = 1). There were no statistically significant differences in the number of CSR initiatives per company (CAI: Mdn = 1, IQR = 3; non-CAI: Mdn = 0, IQR = 2; p = .183) or the proportion of child-targeted initiatives (CAI: 42%; non-CAI: 54%; p = .343) between CAI and non-CAI companies.

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Section: Csr Initiatives and Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

The physical activity and nutrition-related corporate social responsibility initiatives of food and beverage companies in Canada and implications for public health

et al. 2020

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“…Discussions regarding a school food program for Canada are drawing largely on international evidence because of the limited Canadian data available [ 19 , 20 ]. There is a significant gap in rigorous academic research on the design of and outcomes of school meal programs, especially universal ones [ 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Good Food for Learning Universal Curriculum-Integrated Healthy School Lunch Intervention: Protocol for a Two-Year Matched Control Pre-Post and Case Study

Engler‐Stringer¹,

Black²,

Muhajarine³

et al. 2021

JMIR Res Protoc

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Background Good nutrition affects children’s health, well-being, and learning, and schools offer an important setting to promote healthy behaviors that can last a lifetime. Once children reach school age, they spend more of their waking hours in school than in any other environment. Children’s eating habits may be easier to influence than those of adults. In Canada, households with children are more likely to experience food insecurity, and school food programs that are universally available to all children can support the development of healthy eating patterns across groups of varying socioeconomic status. There is a significant gap in the rigorous community-engaged academic research on the impact of school meal programs, especially universal ones. Objective The aim of this population health intervention research is to study the impact of a 2-year universal, curriculum-integrated healthy school lunch program in elementary schools in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, on food consumption, dietary quality and food and nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Methods This population health intervention study will be conducted in 2 intervention elementary schools matched with 2 control schools. We will collect preintervention data, including objective measurements of food eaten at school and food-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. This will be followed by the intervention itself, along with qualitative case studies of the intervention process in the 2 intervention schools. Then, we will collect postintervention data similar to the preintervention data. Finally, we will finish the data analysis and complete the ongoing sharing of learning from the project. Results This study was funded in April 2020 but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection did not begin until May 2021. The intervention will begin in September 2021 and end in June 2023, with end point data collection occurring in May and June 2023. The case study research will begin in September 2021 and will be ongoing for the duration of the intervention. Conclusions The opportunity we have to systematically and comprehensively study a curriculum-integrated school lunch program, as well as the promising practices for school food programs across Canada, is without precedent. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/30899

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“…The findings highlight a number of areas of learning for policymakers should they wish to expand UFSM further, or if a similar policy were to be implemented in another jurisdiction. There are currently only two countries (Sweden and Finland) that offer UFSM to all children, however, researchers in numerous countries are debating how they might change their systems to improve children’s outcomes ( Gaddis and Coplen, 2018 , Gordon and Ruffini, 2018 , Hernandez et al, 2018 , Lucas et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning from the implementation of Universal Free School Meals in Scotland using Normalisation Process Theory: Lessons for policymakers to engage multiple stakeholders

et al. 2020

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Highlights Universal free school meals (UFSM) could improve children’s outcomes. Evaluation of UFSM policies internationally is limited. UFSM policies need to engage with multiple stakeholders adequately. Policymakers must communicate the potential benefits to educational stakeholders. Adequate monitoring and evaluation could help to improve communication.

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The case for a Canadian national school food program

Cited by 24 publications

References 48 publications

The physical activity and nutrition-related corporate social responsibility initiatives of food and beverage companies in Canada and implications for public health

The physical activity and nutrition-related corporate social responsibility initiatives of food and beverage companies in Canada and implications for public health

The Good Food for Learning Universal Curriculum-Integrated Healthy School Lunch Intervention: Protocol for a Two-Year Matched Control Pre-Post and Case Study

Learning from the implementation of Universal Free School Meals in Scotland using Normalisation Process Theory: Lessons for policymakers to engage multiple stakeholders

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