Coalition for Healthy School Food (Canada)

✍️| Many Canadians ask us: why does #Canada need a National School Food Program? "Implementing a national program covering #breakfast and #lunch would save household budgets $130 to $190 a month per child for most families. For households with two #children, that’s about $3,780 in savings per #school year" explain Amberley Ruetz, PhD, Arrell Scholar alumna and a school food and food policy expert, and Evan Fraser, Director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph, in their recent article published today by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). They add that "unlike temporary financial interventions like the one-time grocery rebate, a national program guarantees sustained relief throughout the academic year, allowing families to focus on other essential needs like housing and utilities. This becomes a much more strategic and long-term solution." They emphasize that "a national program also has the potential to stimulate the creation of as many as 207,700 #jobs. Investments in school meal programs in other countries have led to the creation of additional jobs in #agriculture, #nutrition and program administration. This contributes to economic growth and can reduce unemployment." #cdnpoli Would you like to learn more about the other benefits of implementing a National School Food Program in #Canada? Read the article⬇️ https://lnkd.in/esNHB2zG

✨ Retour sur notre enrichissante 𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝑬𝑵 𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑵𝑬 ! La semaine passée, le Collectif québécois a eu le plaisir de se réunir en personne avec ses membres pour une journée riche en échanges et en réflexions. Ensemble, nous avons exploré trois blocs d’activité : 1️⃣ Vision stratégique vers un programme d’alimentation scolaire universel au Québec. 🍎 Merci à Amandine Paulin, Directrice du programme La Cantine dans les écoles, et Mélanie Veillette Dt.P. MBA, Directrice générale de Les Ateliers cinq épices, pour leur prise de parole ! 2️⃣ Réflexion sur la gouvernance du Collectif : vers un modèle collaboratif et durable qui soutient nos actions et notre mission. 🌱 3️⃣ Discussion régionale autour de l'alimentation scolaire. 🗺️ 𝑼𝒏 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊 à tous nos membres pour leur présence et leur implication, et à La Cantine pour tous pour nous avoir offert l’opportunité de nous joindre à leur colloque ! Votre engagement est la force de notre mouvement collectif. Ensemble, faisons avancer la vision d’une alimentation saine et accessible dans toutes les écoles du Québec. 💪 #alimentationscolaire #mobilisation #réseau

🍽️ En cette Journée mondiale de l’alimentation, le Collectif Vital, une initiative de l’Association pour la santé publique du Québec, qui réunit les appuis de 740 partenaires, souhaite joindre sa voix à la mobilisation du Regroupement Des Cuisines Collectives Du Québec pour la reconnaissance du droit à l’alimentation. 📈 Pourquoi agir ? L'insécurité alimentaire augmente, les maladies chroniques liées à une alimentation inadéquate se multiplient, et notre système alimentaire est en difficulté. 💪 La reconnaissance de ce droit permettrait d'assurer un accès équitable à des aliments sains pour toutes et tous ainsi que de transformer notre secteur bioalimentaire pour mieux répondre aux besoins de la population, tout en respectant l'environnement. 🌱 « Il est temps de faire valoir nos droits. Rêvons ensemble d’un Québec où chaque personne, quel que soit son parcours ou son statut socioéconomique, bénéficie d’un accès digne à une alimentation qui respecte ses besoins, ses valeurs et la planète. », explique Jessica Dufresne, Ph.D, chargée de projet droit à l’alimentation au Regroupement des cuisines collectives du Québec (RCCQ). 👇 Lisez notre communiqué de presse via le lien en commentaires ! #JourneeMondialeDelAlimentation #DroitAlAlimentation #WorldFoodDay #Québec Forum sur les systèmes alimentaires territoriaux (SAT) Carrefour solidaire Centre communautaire d'alimentation

School Food Matters launched a report on the Cost of a School Meal!!! Our new research funded by Impact on Urban Health finally answers the question: how much should a school meal cost? It highlights how investing just 63p more per school meal can have huge benefits for children’s health and learning, and provide stability across the sector. I had the pleasure of hosting the SFM webinar yesterday where we discussed report findings and recommendations. We heard from expert speakers including Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, Hunger Solutions Minnesota’s Leah Gardner, Brad Pearce from CATERed LTD, Oasis UK Founder Steve Chalke, the Deputy CEO of Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), Bethan Cullen, and Bremner & Co's Myles Bremner and Abigail Page. Leon Co-Founder Henry Dimbleby and TV Chef Tom Kerridge also joined us via video to share their thoughts and support for the report. Special thanks to the brilliant team who collaborated with us on this piece of work, including Bremner & Co and Cohesion Consulting , and to my School Food Matters team for pulling this event together. I am so proud of the cross-sector collaboration that made this possible and hope you will make time to read the report, watch the webinar and share with your networks! You can find our full report and webinar recording here:

Yesterday our Executive Director, Aimee Gasparetto (she/her) joined Bob Murphey at CBC/Radio-Canada Maritime Noon and Jill Van Horne from Our Food Southeast NB, to field questions on the emerging School Lunch Programs across the Maritimes. As the Nova Scotia Government rolls out the #NSSchoolLunch program, we look forward to supporting these efforts and strengthening awareness and momentum around School Food in Nova Scotia, and its potential for system-wide impact. Have a listen to what community members are asking about in relation to #SchoolLunch across the Maritimes! Coalition for Healthy School Food (Canada) https://lnkd.in/eKCruHev

📢 𝑵𝒐𝒖𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒖 𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 sur la santé et le développement des enfants 📝 Le Collectif québécois pour une saine alimentation scolaire se réjouit de la publication du rapport synthèse de la 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿é𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘁é 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 (𝗗𝗥𝗦𝗣) 𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿é𝗮𝗹, qui met en lumière les enjeux cruciaux de santé et de développement des enfants. Parmi les pistes d'action, le rapport nomme l'implantation d'un «𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹 𝗱’𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘀 é𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀, 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘁é, 𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁é 𝗲𝘁 𝗱’é𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁é». Nous saluons aussi l’engagement de la DRSP à «𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘂 𝗱é𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, à 𝗹’𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘁 à 𝗹’é𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻» d’un tel programme. 🍎🌱 Nous tenons à remercier la directrice régionale de santé publique de Montréal, Dre Mylène Drouin, et le CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, pour la publication de ce rapport qui marque une avancée vers l’implantation d’un programme d’alimentation scolaire universel au Québec ! 🙏 👧👦 📖 Lire le rapport complet ici : https://lnkd.in/emX9APG4

📻 | CKVS - 93.7 Listen to Dr. Warren Bell talk with Debbie Field, the Coalition’s National Coordinator about the National School Food Program and her lifetime of activism on Shuswap Food Conversations, broadcast on Voice of the Shuswap Community Radio LIVE. You can tune in on: - Friday, October 25th - 9:00 am (PDT) - Monday, October 28th - 5:00 pm (PDT) - Thursday, October 31st - 8:00 pm (PDT) Listeners outside our area can listen online at those times through their RadioPlayer tool on their website⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ewAy-KQF The podcast will be available on their website after October 25th. Once it is posted you can share the link with anyone in your network and listen anytime⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ereCdCWC

📰 | SaltWire News What did Lindsay Corbin, Lead for the #NovaScotia Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, discussed with Paul W. Bennett, Director of Schoolhouse Institute, adjunct professor of education at Saint Mary's University and chair of ResearchEd Canada?  “We know that kids can’t learn on an empty stomach,” says Lindsay Corbin. Child poverty is real, and it adversely affects the capacity of kids to learn. Nova Scotia has among the highest rates of #childpoverty and #foodinsecurity in the country. One in five children are living in a poor household. In its January report, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Nova Scotia office pegged the child poverty rate at 20.5 per cent in 2021, an 11.4 per cent increase from the previous year. Discover the article! https://lnkd.in/ew77saVv

💡 | #Quebec Avez-vous manqué cela ? Le vidéaste Farnell Morisset s'est exprimé sur la question d'instaurer un programme pour fournir des lunchs gratuits dans toutes les écoles du Québec d'ici 2030. Merci à l'équipe de La Presse pour la vidéo !  #alimentationscolaire #quebec #enfants #jeunes #parents #economie Regardez ce qu'il a dit !  https://lnkd.in/eNcU98QZ

📰 | Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids What's going on in #Calgary? This month, Paula Tran of LiveWire Calgary spoke with the Executive Director for Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids (BB4CK), Bethany Ross. “Almost one in three kids in Calgary and Alberta live in a household where they experienced food insecurity in the last year, which means their parents and families are concerned about having enough food at some point in the future" explained Bethany Ross. “Last year, we started the school year providing lunch for about 6,500 kids a day, and this school year we started at about 7,500 kids a day,” she told LiveWire Calgary. More than 7,500 K to 12 Calgary students are relying on school lunch programs that are designed to help food-insecure families, highlighting the need for more school lunch supports amidst a worsening affordability crisis. According to the Calgary Foundation’s Quality of Life Report 2024, more than a quarter of Calgarians cannot afford healthy food. Around 46 per cent of those surveyed said they buy fewer fruits and vegetables, and another 21 per cent said they have accessed community-based food services. It’s even harder for families with young children – 39 per cent said they skip meals to make sure their children can eat. Around 63 per cent of families with young children in Calgary have served meals that aren’t nutritious, and 26 per cent said they have used community-based food services for their kids. One professor said implementing a national school lunch program may improve education and economic outcomes for Calgary’s school children. “If everybody’s eating it, there’s an equitable distribution of nutrition. It’s better for the kids because they’re all eating [the same thing], and there’s a sense of community that’s developed. And also, you don’t have families where, if they can’t afford nutritious foods, they’re not being outed,” said Lynne Lafave, a professor at Mount Royal University’s Department of Health and Physical Education. She specializes in nutritional sciences, especially in younger children. To learn more about what's going in #Alberta, read the article! https://lnkd.in/dpE6tSxP Photo credit: Aryna Toombs / Livewire Calgary