Nova Scotia is expanding its affordable school lunch program to high schools this September.
Lunches will be available in all 372 public schools in the province for the 2026-27 school year, covering more than 133,000 students.
Rather than using external vendors like in elementary schools, most high schools will manage their own operations.
“The full rollout of the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program is a significant milestone. More students than ever will have access to nutritious meals that help them learn, grow and succeed, while families benefit from lower food costs,” Brendan Maguire, minister of education and early childhood development, said in a release.
The province says the program has served more than 12 million meals, on a pay-what-you-can basis, since launching in 2024. The program was initially only available for elementary school students, but expanded to include middle and junior high school grades this year.
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Earlier this year, the province announced a pilot project to test out reusable packaging instead of single-use plastic in some school lunches.
The 2026-27 budget for school food is more than $100 million from the province. As well, the province is receiving about $12.4 million over three years through the government of Canada’s National School Food Program.
The province notes that next year’s menus will include new options such as chicken fried rice, ramen-style noodle bowls and salads.
As well, larger portion sizes will be introduced in high schools.
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