Exploring perceptions and needs of school food programs among parents and caregivers: a mixed-methods study

National school food programs (SFPs) have been implemented in several countries and can provide numerous benefits to children across the world. In June 2024, Canada released a National School Food Policy to support the development of a national SFP in Canada. As the enthusiasm to develop a national SFP grows, policymakers need evidence to inform a national SFP that can meet the needs of diverse communities in Canada. There is a paucity of recent information about the perceptions and needs of parents and caregivers in Canada regarding SFPs from various regions across the nation. To close this knowledge gap and gain insight into preferred program attributes, we conducted a mixed-methods study involving focus groups/interviews and surveys with parents and caregivers in the Greater Toronto Area and examined perceptions about the cultural aspects of SFPs among ethnic-specific sub-groups (South Asian, East Asian, and Southeast Asian households). The perceptions and needs identified from all parents and caregivers in the study were used to develop a framework that highlights attributes of a holistic and multicomponent SFP. This framework can be tested and modified with additional information from other locations and can validate other frameworks to inform policymakers on the most important objectives, attributes, and cultural considerations for a national SFP grounded in the perceptions and needs of parents and caregivers.