A partnership that gave students better access to healthy foods at school is being renewed for 2024-25.
The provincial government awarded a $2 million contract to Food Depot Alimentaire for the purchase and distribution of healthy food in 135 schools around the province during the current school year.
"In 2020, we promised to ensure all students in New Brunswick have access to healthy food at school," said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Bill Hogan. "We made good on that promise in the 2023-24 school year and are grateful for our partnership with Food Depot Alimentaire and other community partners to make this possible. We will once again be investing $2 million this coming school year to ensure students can continue to access healthy foods at school."
"We are extremely proud to work in partnership with the provincial government and others, like the Breakfast Club of Canada, to help support healthy foods in schools across the province," said Food Depot Alimentaire executive director Stephane Sirois. "These partnerships allow us to deliver food to 135 schools who provide healthy food to over 45,000 students every month. Our vision is to live in a hunger-free New Brunswick, and helping students eat healthy is a big step towards achieving that vision."
The contract was awarded under the New Brunswick First Procurement Strategy and Action Plan, which aims to support local businesses and reduce barriers to obtaining government contracts.
"Opportunities NB is a proud partner in the development of the New Brunswick First Procurement Strategy, focused on supporting business development throughout our province," said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Greg Turner, who is also minister responsible for Opportunities NB. "Since implementing the New Brunswick First Procurement Strategy and Action Plan, we have consistently surpassed our key performance indicators, and I am proud to say that, in 2023-24, more than 90 per cent of the value of all goods, services and construction contracts was awarded to local suppliers, representing a nine per cent increase from last year and about $1.9 billion in spending kept within the province. These results demonstrate the tangible success of our strategy and action plan, and we will continue to work with local suppliers to strengthen our province's economy."
Turner spoke on behalf of Service New Brunswick Minister Mary Wilson.
The strategy and action plan resulted from collaboration among Service New Brunswick, Opportunities NB and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, and were based on consultations held with suppliers and industry associations.
