Student nutrition programs in Ontario grapple with nearly 'limitless need'

Half of a tangerine instead of a whole one, half of a hard-boiled egg or an apple cut six ways — student nutrition programs across Ontario are finding ways to stretch increasingly insufficient dollars.

Half of a tangerine instead of a whole one, half of a hard-boiled egg or an apple cut six ways — student nutrition programs across Ontario are finding ways to stretch increasingly insufficient dollars.

The province needs to double funding for such initiatives, and even that may not meet the rising demand those programs are seeing, student nutrition programs and advocates told the government ahead of the spring budget.

"Soaring food inflation has played havoc on student nutrition across the province as the funding is too little to purchase a variety of foods in the amount and portion size required to feed a student," Viviane Dégagné, manager of the Student Nutrition Ontario network, told a pre-budget committee. 

"Add to this the increased participation of students in our programs due to the effects of COVID, soaring inflation for families and the number of new immigrants across our province, and we now have a perfect storm," she said. 

The Ontario chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food is asking the province to double its current investment in student nutrition programs, from a total of $32.3 million to $64.4 million in 2024.

The student nutrition program used to serve as more of a Band-Aid, filling in gaps for some families or helping a child who forgot their lunch, but the need is becoming more sharply pronounced, said Erin Moraghan, the CEO of Nutrition for Learning in Waterloo Region.

"Student nutrition programs are becoming something that families need to lean on, and oftentimes lean on heavily, as a solution to the fact that they simply cannot afford their groceries, full stop," she said in an interview.