Great Big Crunch 2023

On March 9th, The Nourish and Develop Foundation (TNDF) is joining the Coalition for Healthy School Food in the Great Big Crunch to help advocate for the importance of school food programs.

What is the Coalition for Healthy School Food?

The Coalition for Healthy School Food is a growing network of nonprofits across Canada advocating for public investment and federal standards for a universal, cost-shared school food program that would allow all children to have access to healthy and nutritious food every day.

What is the Great Big Crunch?

The Great Big Crunch is an annual collection of events across Canada dedicated to celebrating healthy food at school and highlighting the need for a universal school food program.

How would a universal school program help?

When children have access to healthy and nutritious food, they can perform better academically and have better physical and emotional well-being.
With 1.4 million children reported living in a food insecure household in Canada in 2021, there is an immediate need for an accessible school food program.
Having an accessible food program for all children contributes to addressing food insecurity. When we can address food insecurities, it can reduce children’s mental health, and social inequalities, and develop healthy eating habits.
A national healthy school food program will have the potential to create thousands of new jobs across Canada. Serving local food impacts regional food production, household and business earnings, long-term gross domestic product, and part-time jobs for communities.
School food programs can provide opportunities for students to experience food literacy education about our food systems including where food comes from, how to choose local and sustainable food, how to minimize food waste, and how to compost.

What’s next? The Coalition recommends:

The government of Canada allocates $1 billion over 5 years in Budget 2023 to establish a National School Nutritious Meal Program as a key element of the evolving Food Policy for Canada, with 2 million per year to contribute to provinces, territories, and First Nations, Metis, and Inuit partners to fund their school food programs.
Enter immediate discussion with Indigenous leaders to negotiate agreements for the creation and/or enhancement of permanent independent distinction based on First Nation, Metis, and Inuit school meal programs.
Create a dedicated school food infrastructure fund to enhance food production and preparation equipment and facilities so they can reliably and effectively serve healthy food in adequate volumes.

How does TNDF help?

Food insecurity for children isn’t an isolated issue within the school system. In January 2023, the Nourish House food bank served 204 people, with 78 of those being children. TNDF provides an accessible food bank to our community, utilizing a choice-based model, allowing children and families to get food that best meets their needs. TNDF also offers community-based programming to help children and youth learn about food literacy, and food systems and expand their skills with hands-on cooking and gardening.

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How you can help:

Talk to your friends, family, and colleagues about your involvement with the Coalition and the importance of healthy school food.
Write to your local MP explaining the benefits of school food programs.
Post on social media and ask the government to commit to a National School Food Program in Budget 2023

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Resources

This blog only scratches the surface of the conversation about student nutrition programs. To learn more, we recommend these resources:

https://www.healthyschoolfood.ca/why-it-matters

https://www.healthyschoolfood.ca/_files/ugd/e7a651_615d5ce009cf4b46999ae13b767a65e3.pdf?index=true

https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/department/initiatives/food-policy/food-policy-canada

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/food-nutrition/healthy-eating.html

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