Canada-wide survey of school food programs

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutrition Science
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Canada lacks a harmonized, funded national school food program (SFP).
• A federal SFP is planned, potentially replacing uncoordinated existing programs.
• Previous research focused on government roles, necessitating a focus on organization-led SFPs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically identify characteristics of organization-led school food programs in Canada.
• To understand the implementation, reach, effectiveness, adoption, and maintenance of these programs.
• To inform the development of a national SFP.

Main Methods:

• Novel electronic survey research distributed to organizations involved in school food.
• Survey items based on literature review and expert validation.
• Responses analyzed using the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance).

Main Results:

• Significant variability exists in SFP characteristics across 67 programs in 10 provinces.
• Key factors include funding sources (predominantly donations), payment models, and student eligibility.
• Reducing student food insecurity is a primary goal; nutrition and cost influence food selection.

Conclusions:

• Current organization-led SFPs show strengths but also areas for improvement.
• Reliance on donations highlights funding instability.
• Federal involvement can address identified gaps and enhance national school food programming.