The federal government’s 2025 budget has pledged to make the National School Food Program a permanent fixture of Canadian education, with $216.6 million in annual funding beginning in 2029 — building on the $1 billion already committed for the program’s first five years.
The initiative aims to ensure that every child in Canada has access to nutritious meals at school. However, experts caution that the move does not mean free lunches for all students, and significant coordination will be required across provinces and territories to make the system equitable and sustainable.
At two schools in north Etobicoke, about 80 students join the breakfast club daily, enjoying cereal, fruit, and yogurt before class. But as Khudaija Sheikh of Albion Neighbourhood Services notes, limited funding keeps expansion out of reach for many families already struggling between “a roof over their heads or groceries on the table.”
Researchers say that while the federal commitment provides a “solid foundation,” the program will only succeed if provinces, municipalities, and community organizations also contribute.
“The current amount isn’t enough for the kind of hot, daily lunch most families imagine,” says Amberley Ruetz, a University of Saskatchewan researcher. She estimates that a U.S.-style universal lunch program could cost $6.50 per student per day, pushing the total national cost into the billions.
Newfoundland and Labrador — the first province to sign a three-year agreement under the national plan — has already expanded its School Lunch Association model to reach half of its 63,000 students, up from one-third last year. Executive director John Finn welcomes the progress but stresses that long-term success will depend on shared investment from governments, donors, and families.
“Federal investment doesn’t mean free lunch,” Finn said. “Every level of government needs to play its part.”
In Ontario, community organizations like the Sharing Place Food Centre have been filling the gaps by subsidizing groceries for school programs by 50%. Its director Chris Peacock notes that rising food prices have forced schools to switch from fresh meals to cheaper “fillers” such as granola bars.
“One in three kids in our region are food insecure,” he said. “The funding helps, but we need provinces to step up and unify what’s now a fractured system.”
Advocates hope that with coordinated policies, the permanent School Food Program could evolve into a universal, locally supported model, ensuring that no child in Canada goes hungry at school.
