Only G7 country

 

Canada is the only G7 country without a national school food program. Advocates say it's time

Community programs say they are struggling to meet demand with insufficient funds

Students at St. Rocha Catholic School in Toronto eat Cheerios, oranges and yogurt during their morning snack time. (CBC)  

It's heartbreaking when sometimes the kids come in and they say 'Miss Polo, I'm hungry.' Like, 'I don't have a snack for the whole day,'" said Janet Polo, a nutrition coordinator at St. Rocha who oversees the meal program. 

St. Rich's program has three streams of funding: donations from parents, contributions from the Toronto Catholic District School Board's charity The Angel Foundation and a grant from the President's Choice Children's Charity.

Annually, the Angel Foundation receives $4.3 million from Toronto Public Health, $2.1 million from Ontario's Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and $2.7 million from fundraising and other donations. They fund about 12 million meals every year, their executive director John Yan told CBC News.

But organizers are finding it's getting harder to stretch that money out, especially in designing a nutritious menu that keeps allergies and other dietary restrictions in mind.

WATCH | Why high grocery prices are hurting school food programs:

The rising cost of living has more families relying on school food programs, but those services are also feeling the pinch from skyrocketing grocery prices. CBC’s Deana Sumanas-Johnson shows the challenges facing programs, their importance and breaks down the renewed calls for nationwide school meal funding."I have to see [who] gives me the bagel cheaper than the other companies so I can order more," Polo said, noting that not only have prices gone up, the quality of the food has reduced, too.
Canada is the only country in the G7 that doesn't have a national school food program or national standards, according to the  That means that while every province has different needs, there isn't an aligned approach to feeding students across the assortment of existing programs.
Researchers say that as high inflation affects food prices, more children need access to these programs — but community groups say they need stable funding from the federal government to keep everyone fed.