National School Food Program helps students and families in Alberta as a new school year begins

Federal investment helping more students access nutritious food while making life more affordable for Alberta families

CALGARY, AB, Sept. 9, 2026 /CNW/ -- As students return to the classroom, the Honourable Anna Gainey, Secretary of State (Children and Youth) visited RancheView School in Cochrane to mark the start of the new school year and highlight how federal and provincial investments are helping more children access nutritious food at school.

Through the National School Food Program, the federal government aims to provide meals to up to 400,000 children each year. For the 2026-27 school year, federal funding for provincial and territorial school food programs has doubled from 2024-25 levels to $140 million annually, helping enhance and expand school food programs across Canada.

Under the Canada-Alberta National School Food Program Agreement, the Government of Canada's $17.6 million investment for 2026-27 builds on Alberta's annual funding of $20 million for the School Nutrition Program Grant, creating more opportunities for students to access healthy food at school. Together, these investments will help schools provide more meals, improve nutritional quality, expand programming to additional students, and establish new school nutrition programs in schools that do not currently offer them.

The combined investment strengthens support for the more than 58,000 students already benefiting from Alberta's School Nutrition Program while extending access to even more children and families across the province.

On average, participating families across Canada with two children in school can save an estimated $800 in grocery bills per year. Nutritious food at school promotes children's health and learning, eases grocery costs for families, and fosters a more resilient Canadian food system that supports local economies, Canadian farmers and food producers.

Quotes

"When children have access to healthy food at school, they can learn, grow and reach their full potential. In partnership with the Government of Alberta, Canada's National School Food Program is investing in more nutritious meals that are reaching more children across the province while bringing down costs for Alberta families this school year."
– The Honourable Anna Gainey, Secretary of State (Children and Youth)

"No child should have to learn on an empty stomach. Alberta is investing nearly $20 million in the provincial school food program and, together with our federal partners, is reaching more students with the nutritious meals they need to succeed in the classroom."
-- The Honourable Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta's Minister of Education and Childcare

Quick facts

• As announced on June 16, 2026, Alberta's agreement and action plan for 2025-26 and 2026-27 outlines how federal funding will support public school jurisdictions and eligible public charter schools in enhancing and expanding school food programs by offering additional meals to students, improving the nutritional value of meals, increasing the number of students served, and establishing new school nutrition programs in schools not currently offering programming to students. Alberta's School Nutrition Program empowers local decision-making, partnerships, and support for local food production to ensure programs are tailored to meet and reflect the needs of local communities.
• In Alberta, National School Food Program funding will support the provision of additional meals, improved nutritional value and new school nutrition programs, while expanding reach beyond the 58,000 students served through provincial funding.
• School food programming across the country varies to meet the diverse regional needs of local communities. Some examples of the many diverse programs being offered include:
  • Pay-what-you-can or reduced-cost lunch programs with diverse menu options, providing affordable lunch options and reducing the stress of packing lunches.
  • Easy access grab-and-go snack bins, ensuring students have stigma-free access to food throughout the day.
  • School gardens where students get to help grow the food used in their school's food programs.
  • Free breakfasts served before class to help prevent kids from starting their school day on an empty stomach.
  • Community meals that incorporate country foods and traditional teachings into school meals.
• With support from the National School Food Program and provincial and territorial (PT) investments, more than 10,000 schools--approximately 80% of PT-operated schools in Canada--are offering school food programs this school year.
• As announced in Budget 2025, the Government of Canada has committed $216.6 million per year, starting in 2029-30, for Employment and Social Development Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to make the National School Food Program permanent. The National School Food Program Act received Royal Assent through Bill C-15 on March 26, 2026, and is now law in Canada. 
• The National School Food Program includes investments for First Nations, Inuit and Métis governing bodies, including First Nations on-reserve and Modern Treaty and Self-Government agreement holders. The Government of Canada is working directly with Indigenous partners on the rollout of that funding.

Associated links

• National School Food Program takes shape across Canada
• Backgrounder: Federal vision for a National School Food Program 
• National School Food Agreements and Action Plans 
• Feeding the future today: Canada's National School Food Program
• Government of Canada launches new research funding to strengthen school food programs across Canada
• Government of Canada invests in school food data and research to help improve school food programs across Canada
• School Food Infrastructure Fund
• Minister Hajdu highlights new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit

Follow us on X (Twitter)

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

Contacts: For media enquiries, please contact: Gabriela McGuinty Canete, Senior Operations and Communications Advisor, Office of the Secretary of State (Children and Youth), [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]