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CBC
12 hours ago
- General
- CBC
Here's how many people paid full price for the N.S. school lunch program
Packing lunches is the bane of Katie Armstrong's morning. So the Nova Scotia mother was "very excited" when she heard the provincial government was launching a lunch program at elementary schools across the province — including the school her son, Henry, attends. The program is a pay-what-you-can-model and started rolling it out to schools last fall. To make food affordable and accessible to all, the program never placed expectations on families to pay for meals. Armstrong opted to pay full price for her son's lunches, hoping to offset the cost of the program for other children. "I believe the very first time I did it, I paid the full six dollars," she said in an interview with CBC News. Henry tried but did not enjoy some of the meals like fish cakes and black bean tacos. He was disappointed by the pizza, which he described as "really wet" toppings toasted on top of bread. "When I saw the response from Henry and from others and that it wasn't really working for us, I reduced it to the four dollar amount." Armstrong isn't alone. Through surveys and declining payment amounts, some parents are sending a message they want changes as the lunch program enters its second year this fall. 2% paying full price Using the freedom of information act, CBC News asked the province how many school meals were paid in full for each two-week order cycle. At the beginning, about four per cent of meals received full payment of $6.50 each. A further 33 per cent of meals received partial payment. By late April, the meals with full payment dropped to two per cent, and partial payments dropped to 10 per cent. No one chose to make an extra donation to the program above and beyond the $6.50. Food variety and quality questions Armstrong believes in the importance of a school lunch for all children, regardless of ability to pay. But she and her son felt a little disappointed in the program, and hope the menu will be tweaked next year. Henry Armstrong, 7, liked the program "medium" well. "I kind of liked it, but not really that much," he said. "I liked the red sauce pasta, and some of the sides they had because they were all vegetables and fruit." Armstrong still packs lunches often, and hopes for some new options in the menu. "If a child doesn't like the majority of them, even if they try it and they still don't like it, there's not really any room for trying new things after that or finding the things they like," she said. Armstrong said Henry told her sometimes the food was cold and seemed to have been sitting in the package for a while. She feels this detracts from "an amazing program, in theory" which can provide for all children. "I think that's where the bigger issue lies," she said. "I want to make sure that the food is food that kids will want to eat and be happy to eat." 3 different food delivery methods Aimee Gasparetto is the executive director of Nourish Nova Scotia, a charity that works to ensure young people have access to healthy food. It doesn't deliver the lunch program, but is co-operating with the government on its development. Gasparetto thinks parents' concerns about quality and variety are valid, and some menu changes will come in the next year. But she says the concerns need to be considered within the huge scale of the program. "It's going to take time to really adjust both the menu, the quality of the food and really make sure that the program over time is being adapted to the unique needs of different students in different regions," she said in a recent interview. Gasparetto said although the menu is the same across the province, schools have three different ways of getting the food depending what facilities they have. Some schools make the food in their own kitchens with their own staff, and some have catering companies coming into the school to make the food. Others get food delivered from an off-site producer. Though the province is trying for consistency, she said it can be a challenge. But she's also been hearing from school staff who used to see kids going without food, and are now able to change that. "This program is fundamentally about easing financial and time pressures on families and also ensuring that every child at school has the opportunity to eat nutritious food in order to socialize, learn better and connect into the school environment in a much better way," she said. Surveyed parents felt nutrition fine, variety lacking Through freedom of information laws, CBC obtained 19,563 responses to a province-wide survey of opinions on the school food program conducted earlier this year. Not all respondents answered every question in the survey. 4,011 people were "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied" with food quality. 5,113 people were "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied" with meal variety. 9,161 people were "neutral," "satisfied," or "very satisfied" with nutritional value. 6,205 people said financial situation was a main factor in their payment. Thousands of families also said their children were trying new foods, eating lunch more regularly, eating more nutritious food at lunch, and feeling more included at school. All public elementary schools in Nova Scotia are participating, and the program will expand to junior high schools in the fall. "We've got a year of data. That data is being worked on to incorporate feedback and really make program improvements," Gasparetto said. "We need a couple of years under our belt to really consider all of the impacts of this program." Combating child poverty By comparison, Prince Edward Island also has a pay-what-you-can school lunch program. Last year, P.E.I.'s government released numbers which showed about 13 per cent of meals were fully paid for, and there was partial payment on 18 per cent of meals. In Gasparetto's view, cost recovery isn't the most important thing; rather, the program is about building a "more equitable system." Research released late last year showed Nova Scotia has the highest child poverty rate in Atlantic Canada, with Feed Nova Scotia reporting a nearly 70 per cent jump in families going to food banks since 2021. "One of the things that school lunch programs have shown to demonstrate is it can really work to address some of those food insecurity issues," Gasparetto said. CBC News requested an interview with provincial Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Brendan Maguire. The department declined the request but shared a statement. "While payments have fluctuated, program participation has remained consistent — and what matters most is that no student is sitting in class hungry," it read. The department has previously told CBC News the program is offered to about 75,000 students and sees about 50 per cent participation. The statement went on to say the province is looking at "new menu options, quality assurance tools, sustainable packaging and other actions" to respond to feedback on the program. The province paid $18.8 million for the 2024-25 school year. The 2025-26 budget increased that to $61.2 million to account for the rollout to more schools. The federal government has committed $12.4 million as part of its goal for a national school food program. 'We definitely won't give up' Katie Armstrong plans to keep ordering meals her kids will eat. She has two younger children who will enter elementary school soon. "I 100 per cent think the program needs to stay," she said. "I think that this is the first year it's in play, and there's always room for change and improvement. "We definitely won't give up," she said.
CBC
28-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Aurora College team looks to grow Fort Smith food independence with gardening
Food security is a growing concern in the North. Store-bought food can be expensive and not always fresh. Carla Ulrich has the story of a team looking to change that.
CNA
16-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Astons Group having food deals as low as 20 cents for 20th anniversary
Affordable food is always welcome, especially in this economy. Thanks to Astons Group, you'll be able to indulge in dishes priced as low as 20 cents. As part of its 20th anniversary, the Singapore-based F&B group is offering a slew of deals across its multiple brands from now till Jun 3. These include unlimited sushi at 20 cents per piece, grilled chicken at 20 cents and more. Do note that terms and conditions apply, with most of these deals being valid for just one day at specific outlets. Also something to note: A recently-concluded deal on Thursday (May 15) drew long lines of customers so you should expect to do a fair bit of waiting if you want to enjoy these deals. But if you're game, you can look forward to a 20-cent deal on any Grillworks Chicken, with two sides, at the halal-certified Andes on May 19, as well as a 20-cent deal on a one-piece fried chicken and mashed potato set at Chic-A-Boo on May 27 and Jun 3.
CBS News
11-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
High food prices force non-profit grocery store chain in Massachusetts to shut down
Daily Table, a non-profit grocery store with several locations in Massachusetts, is shutting down. The store, which was founded by former Trader Joe's executive Doug Rauch in 2015, aimed to provide easier access to affordable, healthy food in Greater Boston. Daily Table closing Rauch told WBZ-TV in 2019 that it was a "health initiative masquerading as a food store." "The cheapest form of health care is good food," he said. But the board of directors announced on Friday they had to close, after serving more than 3 million customers. "The pressures of facing historically high levels of food price increases, to the current uncertain and difficult funding environment, sustaining Daily Table has become increasingly difficult," they said in a statement. "Without immediate funding to bridge us through 2025, we cannot continue. After careful consideration, we have come to the heartbreaking conclusion that we can no longer continue operations." Daily Table had five locations as recently as last year. The stores in Dorchester, Roxbury and Salem closed Sunday. The Cambridge store will close Monday. The fifth store, in Mattapan, closed back in January. How the non-profit grocery store worked During its ten-year run, Daily Table made deals with distributors to get food that other supermarkets wouldn't pay for. Some markets won't accept food that's a few weeks away from its expiration date. Daily Table would take that perfectly good food so it wouldn't end up in a landfill. "Every time a customer comes in and buys something they couldn't afford that was healthy, that's a success," Rauch said in 2019. "While immediate challenges have led to the closure of our stores, we remain as committed to the mission of Daily Table as ever and firmly believe that this model can be replicated elsewhere," the board said in its statement. If you need help finding affordable, healthy food, you can find some resources here.
