Province Gears Up to Launch School Lunch Program this October

Families across Nova Scotia will soon be able to order school lunches that are affordable, nutritious and delicious.

The Nova Scotia School Lunch Program will serve its first lunches this October. Throughout August and September, the Department is continuing to work with schools, regions and vendors to put the final touches on the program. These preparations include training staff and vendors, installing equipment, testing ordering technology and finalizing menu items.

“I’m proud that Nova Scotia is taking action to support so many children to have a delicious and nutritious lunch every day,” said Becky Druhan, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. “We know children learn better when they are well fed and that’s why we are committed to supporting Nova Scotia’s families with a lunch program that is easy, accessible and affordable.”

Phase 1 of the school lunch program includes every school that has elementary school grades, which adds up to more than 75,000 students and potentially more than 13 million lunches served in the coming school year. It is a pay-what-you-can program, meaning families can choose to pay the full $6.50 cost of the lunch, part of the cost or nothing. All payment information is kept confidential.

Lunches will start in schools on October 1, 15 or 28, with ordering opening two weeks before the first lunches are served. Families will be able to choose between two lunch options every school day, with at least one vegetarian (no meat) lunch offered each day. In total, there will be 40 menu options that rotate weekly when the program starts in October.

Each meal provides balanced nutrition and meets the standards outlined in Canada’s Food Guide and the Nova Scotia School Food and Nutrition Policy. The menu offers options that celebrate the diversity of Nova Scotian students, such as Acadian chicken fricot, murgh makhani (butter chicken), corn chowder with l’uskinikn (a traditional Mi’kmaw biscuit) and moujadara (a baked rice dish with lentils and caramelized onions). Popular student-approved favourites like macaroni and cheese and pizza are also on the menu.

Other school food programs, including the free breakfast program and snack programs will continue as usual.

Nova Scotians looking for information on the new school lunch program will be able to find it on a newly launched website, https://nslunch.ca/, which has answers to frequently asked questions, the list of more than 250 schools where lunch will be offered by the end of October, examples of meals and more. Program start dates for all Phase 1 schools, the full menu and the online ordering system will be added to the site throughout September.

Earlier this summer, the Department engaged with families and school communities about the school lunch program, a complex undertaking with hundreds of schools that have different amenities. More than 10,000 people participated in an online consultation, expressing strong support for affordable, accessible school lunches. The engagement also identified common questions around program delivery, lunch menus, the ordering process and how the pay-what-you-can system works. Findings have informed the program design and helped shape the new website.

Quick Facts:

• the Province announced the new school lunch program as part of Budget 2024-25 with an $18.8-million investment for the 2024-25 school year

Additional Resources:

Budget 2024-25: https://novascotia.ca/budget/