In its first year, the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program served more than 4.7 million lunches to students across the province.
Student Daisy Marsh enjoys Taco Tuesday at St. Anne's Elementary School in Glace Bay. (Province of Nova Scotia / File)
The program will expand next school year to all middle and junior high schools and continue in elementary schools. More than 104,000 students in 334 schools will be able to eat a nutritious lunch every day.
"We are doing everything we can to make life easier and more affordable for families and ensure our students are focused on learning," said Brendan Maguire, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. "I am thrilled with the success of the first year of the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program and can't wait for school communities to see a bigger and better program next fall."
Data from the 2024-25 school year shows the Halifax Regional Centre for Education served nearly two million lunches. With 390,000 servings, the most popular menu item was cheese pizza. West Bedford School in Halifax Reginal Municipality had the most lunches ordered - 73,000 - and Pleasant Bay School in Inverness County had the highest consistent program participation rate at 80 per cent of students.
Improvements are being made to the program this summer in response to parent and school staff feedback. In the fall, school communities will see:
- new kid-approved menu options
- sustainable packaging
- a more seamless ordering experience
- improved delivery and service standards.
More details will be shared before the start of the school year, including when the lunch program will start in schools.
Quotes:
"When kids have access to local, healthy food, it makes it easier for them to learn and grow in school. Through investments in the National School Food Program, we're making life more affordable for families in Nova Scotia, and across Canada, so every child has the chance to thrive and succeed."
Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families
"The lunch program has been a fantastic addition to our school community. With over 73,000 lunches served this year, it was truly a success. We're so grateful to our incredible cafeteria team, our amazing lunch monitors, our dedicated Grade 6 student ambassadors and the many families who embraced this opportunity and helped make it such a positive experience for our students."
Susan Casey, Principal, West Bedford School
Quick Facts:
- in its first year, the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program was available to more than 75,000 students in 256 schools
- in 2025-26, the Province is investing $80 million in the program
- through the Government of Canada's National School Food Program, Nova Scotia is receiving $12.4 million over three years to enhance and expand school food programs
Additional Resources:
Nova Scotia School Lunch Program: https://nslunch.ca/
