National school food program will make a difference

Hungry children struggle to learn, say Dr. Daniel Bierstone and Dr. Sloane J. Freeman.

A historic milestone for the health of Canadian children was achieved in last week's federal budget with the government's announcement of $1 billion over five years for the creation of a national school food program.

As pediatricians working in school-based health clinics within some of Toronto's most underserved communities, we witness the negative impact of hunger and poor nutrition on our young patients' health and school experience. A national school food program will help close the hunger gap and improve access to nutritious foods for children nationwide.

At our school-based clinics, we treat children for a variety of school-related concerns including ADHD, autism, anxiety, and learning challenges, as well as children with nutritional deficiencies, and obesity. For many patients, school success depends most on having a safe place to live and nutritious food on the table.

We know from numerous studies that school food programs have the potential to improve children's health and success in school. They can reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease as they enable children to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. School food programs have been linked to improved mental health and decreased behavioural and emotional problems at school including bullying, aggression, and anxiety. Children who eat a morning meal experience less hunger, as well as fewer headaches, stomach aches and episodes of dizziness — all things that impact students' functioning at school.

According to a Toronto District School Board study, students who participated in a school breakfast program had a 10 per cent increase in independent academic skills, class participation, and the ability to resolve conflicts, and were more on track for graduation.

A staggering one in four children in Canada live in food insecurity, up from one in five in 2021. That represents nearly two million children

A national school food program makes economic sense.

across our country who cannot access the food they need to thrive. Only about one-third of Canadian children eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits or vegetables a day, and one-third of elementary school students do not eat a nutritious breakfast before school. As pediatricians, we often breathe a metaphorical sigh of relief when learning that a patient has a snack or meal program in their school, knowing that this will increase their access to nutritious food and their chances at school success.

A national school food program makes economic sense as well. As Canadian families face rising costs of living and increased financial pressures, it is estimated that a breakfast and lunch program would save participating families up to $800 a year on grocery bills. School meals will ensure that kids can learn on full stomachs, improving their academic success, their economic status as adults, and their contributions to society.

Right now, school food programs across Canada exist in a patchwork where some schools have access to either snack or meal programs, while others don't have access at all. In the Ottawa area, approximately one-third of schools participate in the school breakfast program, which relies on a patchwork of public funds and private fundraising. Every year additional schools are onboarded into the program with a 28 per cent increase in daily participation since before the pandemic. While funding for the Ottawa school breakfast program is relatively secure, this has not been the case in other Ontario jurisdictions (including in Toronto where we work), where food programs in certain schools have had to be cancelled, at times mid-year, due to a lack of funds.

It is precisely this gap that the creation of a universal national school food program announced in the budget would address, and we hope that it will be supported by lawmakers of all political stripes both in the present and future. But for now, we can go back to work knowing that school nutrition has just become one big step closer to becoming a reality for every child in Canada.