Lunch

• We anticipate these transfer agreements will be informed by the forthcoming National School Food Policy, which is expected soon.
• As researchers and co-chairs of the Canadian Association for Food Studies’ School Food Working Group, there are three things we think should happen next to set Canada’s school food program up for success.

Potential paths to success

• Part of this research should include evaluating universal free school meals programs compared to “pay-what-you-can” models.
• But similar findings do not yet exist for the “pay-what-you-can” model because it is unique to Canada.

Will schools in less affluent areas with smaller populations be able to sustain pay-what-you-can where economies of scale and parental contributions are limited?
What level of student participation reduces stigma and increases program acceptance?

Kitchens and trained staff

• The second priority, as we’ve learned through our own research, is that adequate school food infrastructure and well-trained school food staff are key to success.
• This also means paying workers a living wage so they see school food jobs as a career path.

• We’ve found some of the most cost-effective models are in urban areas where schools can work together to produce meals.
• The key is to strike a balance with fresh, whole food meals made in local centralized production kitchens where feasible and made in individual schools where centralization is not practical.

Procuring local food

• For a national school food program to support local and sustainable food systems and economies, it’s important to have targets and policies in place to procure food locally.
• Provinces and territories could set individualized local food procurement targets, such as setting minimum percentages for local food, based on their unique food systems.
• Investing in more local food infrastructure can aggregate food and provide last-mile delivery, something we know is crucial for connecting local producers with schools.

• Amberley T. Ruetz receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, MITACS, and the Arrell Family Foundation.
• Rachel Engler-Stringer receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, the Jim Pattison's Children's Hospital Foundation and MITACS.