Growing Chefs! Ontario: Federal government commits to creation of National School Food Program

The federal government says it will launch a National School Food Program, aiming to deliver meals to an additional 400,000 children per year.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland made the announcement during an event in Toronto on Monday, the latest in a series of public appearances by the prime minister and his cabinet ministers ahead of the federal budget planned for April 16.

​“We all want kids to have the best start in life, including the most vulnerable,” Trudeau said during the event.

​“When a kid walks up before class and says ​‘I’m hungry,’ it means we all have more work to do as a school community and as a country.“

The federal government will spend $1 billion over five years to implement the program. That figure mirrors a 2021 campaign promise made by the governing Liberals.

Freeland said the government hoped to have the program in place for the 2024 – 2025 school year.