nova scotia's affordable school lunch program to reach every public school student this fall
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st. anne's elementary school grade 3 student kai fraser takes his lunch from genevieve howie, who owns the catering company that is contracted to provide the provincially funded lunches at the glace bay school in october 2024.
nicole sullivan
/
cape breton post
affordable lunches will now be available to every public school student in nova scotia.
the provincial government announced a final expansion of the school lunch program for the start of the 2026-27 academic year. the remaining 37 high schools in the province will have access to the program, which will capture all 372 public schools in nova scotia by september.
“our government made a commitment to provide students with healthy, affordable lunches and to help make life more affordable for families, and we are delivering on that promise,” brendan maguire, the minister of education and early childhood development, said in a news release.
“the full rollout of the nova scotia school lunch program is a significant milestone. more students than ever will have access to nutritious meals that help them learn, grow and succeed, while families benefit from lower food costs.”
front to back, cassie hickey, rayah hynes and reese buchanan all liked the taco served at st. anne’s school in october 2024 for the kickoff of the provincial school lunch program.
nicole sullivan
/
cape breton post
the program launched primarily in elementary schools in the fall of 2024. it is a pay-what-you-can arrangement designed to assist children from lower-income families access nutritious lunches. the maximum price for a meal is $6.50.
the initial phase covered 258 schools and more than 75,000 students. by january 2025, more than two million meals had been served.
the second phase of the program started in september 2025 and targeted middle schools and high schools. the numbers rose to more than 104,000 students in 334 schools.
the number of meals served increased to 7.9 million for the 2025-26 school year, bringing the overall total to more than 12 million since the introduction of the program.
funding is shared at the provincial and federal levels, with the nova scotia government contributing roughly $80 million last year, and the national school food program investing about $12.4 million over three years.
the nova scotia government is expanding its school lunch program. it will now be offered at all 372 public schools in the province.
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“in partnership with the government of nova scotia, canada’s national school food program is expanding access to nutritious meals for students across the province to help nova scotia children succeed in the classroom and help families save on their groceries,” anna gainey, federal secretary of state for children and youth, said in the release.
“while in school, every child in nova scotia should focus on learning, not on where their next meal will come from.”
a popular feature of the program is the incorporation of student feedback for the type of food served. staples from the original menu included mini cheese pizzas, hamburgers, and noodles with tomato and beef sauce. vegetables and fruit are typically included as side dishes.
following popular demand, chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese were added to the mix for the second year. according to the release, coming in 2026-27 are “chicken caesar wraps, chicken fried rice, ramen-style noodle bowls and salads. larger portion sizes will also be introduced in high schools.”
“i am pleased to see the lunch program rolled out to our school and students,” todd symes, principal at liverpool regional high school, said in the release.
“this program makes it easier for our families and our students to access and order food during the day. cafeteria staff have been following the upcoming menu and getting positive reviews from students on the exciting new meal options.”
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