Is the National School Food Program Working?

Is the National School Food Program Working?

From The 905er Podcast by The 905er

September 30, 2025 · 40 min · Episode 344

About this episode

The episode discusses the effectiveness of the National School Food Program in addressing child hunger in schools.

We all know how difficult it can be to focus on the day ahead of us when we don't have a full belly. Hunger is a pretty good distraction from us succeeding in our day. Imagine if you're a kid, then, trying to focus on learning math, science, history, geography, as well as participating in phys-ed on an empty stomach? Too many kids go to school hungry, for multiple reasons. Which is why the federal government created the National School Food Program. Where federal tax dollars are sent to the provinces and territories, who in turn pass it along to third-party providers to ensure our kids start the day with full bellies. However, does it work? Or work well? We asked Sarah Keyes and Heather Thoma from the Ontario Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food if the money we are sending to Ontario is getting where it's supposed to go. As well, if it's doing what we expect it to. https://www.healthyschoolfood.ca/ It takes money and time to do this podcast. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can, so we can keep improving and keep paying the bills. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can become a monthly or yearly patron on our website at 905er.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We didn’t like sharing…

People in this episode

Host: The 905er

Guests: Sarah Keyes, Heather Thoma

Topics covered

  • school food program
  • child hunger
  • education
  • government funding
  • healthy eating

Keywords

  • National School Food Program
  • child hunger
  • Ontario
  • healthy school food
  • education funding

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ontario Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, National School Food Program

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