The Ontario Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food has submitted its recommendations to inform the 2024 Ontario budget.
The Chapter is urging the Government of Ontario to:
Double the annual provincial investment in the Ontario Student Nutrition Program from $28.1 million to $56.2 million to build on existing programs and augment the quantity and quality of nutritious food served to over 761,000 students in the province each day.
Invest $20 million over 3 years ($6.7M per year) in student nutrition program infrastructure to support equipment needed to serve students nutritious food at school.
Allocate a proportional core funding and infrastructure allotment to the First Nation Student Nutrition Program to advance Indigenous-led school food initiatives.
Providing an increased investment in student nutrition programs will ensure more students are set up for success, and will create opportunities for short- and long-term economic returns.
You can read the Chapter’s full submission here.