Examining Canadian School Food Models to Inform Decision-Making for a Universal and Nationally-Harmonized School Food Program

This research responds to a need for insight into the operational details of school food programs that are responding to the diverse needs of communities across Canada. For example, many elementary schools in Canada do not have an industrial kitchen for food service or a cafeteria/designated eating area. Understanding these barriers and alternative opportunities for implementing SFPs is needed to promote successful scale-up. Investigating school food supply chains, the SFP actors that support program operations, and the costs associated with each model is vital information. Accordingly, our research will compare and contrast different models in different locations, such as for-profit, non-profit, or student-led catering; partially subsidized or free models; models that vary in their sources of food; multi-component SFPs (i.e. incorporation of food literacy, local foods, culture and heritage, and/or environmental sustainability), and Indigenous-led SFPs.