Millions of lunches served in first year of N.S. school lunch program

The provincial government says nearly five million school lunches were served to students across Nova Scotia in the first year of its School Lunch Program.

According to the department of education, more than 4.7 million lunches were served, with nearly two million in the Halifax Regional Centre for Education. West Bedford School had the most lunches ordered at 73,000.

The most popular meal, with 390,000 servings, was cheese pizza.

“We are doing everything we can to make life easier and more affordable for families and ensure our students are focused on learning,” said Minister Brendan Maguire. “I am thrilled with the success of the first year of the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program and can’t wait for school communities to see a bigger and better program next fall.”

Next year the school lunch program will expand to include all middle and junior high schools, with 334 schools included.

Government also says it’s working on improvements to the program based on feedback from parents and school staff.

The cost of the program to the province in 2025/26 will be $80 million.

Summer break highlights food insecurity

With school out, access to food becomes more difficult for many families.

Ash Avery, executive director of Feed Nova Scotia, says the end of school food programs and other services means thousands of food-insecure children face greater challenges in the months ahead.

“Nova Scotia has the second-highest rate of children under 18 living in food-insecure households across Canada,” she said. “That looks like about 71,000 kids that are lacking food access every single day.”

Financial donations make a big difference, Avery said, allowing food banks to purchase the items they know are most needed.

The non-profit feeds more than 23,000 people each month by supporting 140 food banks, shelters, soup kitchens, and meal programs across Nova Scotia. That number represents 52 per cent more people than the non-profit supported in 2022.