Ontario Signs $108.5M Deal with Federal Government for Expanded School Meal Program

The agreement will provide 9.8 million meals annually and expand access to nearly a million students across Ontario schools.

Ontario becomes the third province, after Newfoundland and Labrador and Manitoba, to join the federal government's National School Food Program.
The $108.5 million in federal funding over three years will support Ontario's Student Nutrition Program and First Nations Student Nutrition Program.
The program is expected to provide meals to an additional 160,000 students annually, bringing the total to nearly a million Ontario children with access to school meals.
The federal government has committed $1 billion over five years to expand school food programs nationwide, aiming to serve 400,000 more children each year.
Advocates highlight the program's potential to alleviate food insecurity, improve student focus, and ease financial pressures on families facing rising living costs.