National School Food Program takes shape across Canada

Federal funding for provinces and territories is expanding

OTTAWA, ON, June 16, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Anna Gainey, Secretary of State (Children and Youth), announced that provinces and territories have finalized their National School Food Program action plans for 2025-26 and 2026-27. These plans outline how provinces and territories are using the National School Food Program funding to enhance and expand school food programs across Canada in alignment with the National School Food Policy.

The National School Food Program is providing meals to up to 400,000 more kids every year. With these plans, total federal funding for provinces and territories has doubled from the 2024-25 fiscal year to $140 million, marking a major step forward in ensuring that more children have access to nutritious food at school, and that local farmers and local economies contribute to this.

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.

The Government of Canada will continue working collaboratively with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners over the coming years, building on existing efforts to enhance and expand school food programs across the country. This, along with other commitments to build more homes, expand affordable dental care, tackle food insecurity, protect affordable child care, and grow the economy, is part of the federal government's plan to lower costs for Canadians and build Canada strong. 

Quote

"Canada's new government is strengthening its investment in children's access to nutritious food at school, helping them thrive in classrooms and helping families save on their groceries. Because every child should focus on learning, not on where their next meal will come from."
-- Secretary of State (Children and Youth), Anna Gainey

Quick facts

• School food programs boost our children's health and help them reach their full potential while also supporting their families through lower grocery bills. On average, these investments can save participating families across Canada with two children in school an estimated $800 in grocery bills per year.
• School food programming across the country varies to meet the diverse regional needs of local community. 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.
• Released on June 20, 2024, the National School Food Policy lays the foundation to advance work on school food in Canada without stigma or barriers, fostering healthy practices, and strengthening connections with the environment, culture and local food systems.
• Budget 2025 proposed to introduce legislation and provide $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.
• On June 11, 2026, Canada's first-ever National Food Security Strategy was launched. Backed by more than $3 billion in investments over ten years, this strategy will break open the market for independent retailers, boost domestic food production, and build a stronger, more independent, and more affordable food system for all Canadians.
• Budget 2024's investment of $1 billion over five years includes distinctions-based funding for First Nations on reserve as well as Inuit, Métis, and Modern Treaty and Self-Government agreement holders. The Government of Canada is working directly with Indigenous partners on the rollout of that funding.
• In addition, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada launched the $20.2-million federal School Food Infrastructure Fund on September 6, 2024. The Fund supports the purchase and installation of infrastructure and equipment that increase the capacity of community organizations to produce, process, store, and distribute food for school food programs across Canada.

Associated links

• Backgrounder
• National School Food Agreements and Action Plans
• Prime Minister Carney launches National Food Security Strategy to build a more affordable and resilient food system in Canada
• Feeding the future today: Canada's National School Food Program
• Minister Hajdu highlights new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit
• Government of Canada launches new research funding to strengthen school food programs across Canada

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

Contacts: For media enquiries, please contact:  Elsa Niyongabo, Press Secretary and Communications Advisor, Office of the Secretary of State for Children and Youth, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]