National School Food Program – 2025 to 2027 Action Plan – Saskatchewan

Program Consultation

Saskatchewan will translate the Inclusive, Flexible and Health promoting principles into action by:

• Integrating feedback from school divisions, Indigenous and official language consultations into program expansion.
• Seeking advice from students and parents to include their voice in program design.
• Consulting with national and provincial governing bodies to seek information on their experience and expertise about school food programs specifically, inclusion of diverse dietary needs, program and nutrition quality and other expertise necessary for program expansion.

Program expansion

To increase accessibility and support sustainability, Saskatchewan will allocate funding to school divisions for school food programs that are ready to expand access and/or reach in the 2025 to 2026 school year. This will include prioritizing expansion opportunities, hiring resources, and preparing programs with minor capital investments to administer programs and commence operation. School divisions’ programs that are not yet ready to expand in 2025 to 2026 will be afforded sufficient time and funds to prepare the schools they identify for expansion in 2026 to 2027. Saskatchewan’s allocation approach takes into consideration the needs of students attending urban, rural and northern schools, and the factors that influence program costs such as school location, including the north, enrolment and student need.

Key actions to increase the reach and access of school food programs will include:

• adding new programs into schools or school divisions, not previously receiving provincial government funding for nutrition.
• expanding existing programs in schools to reach more vulnerable students.
• increasing the number of days or programs offered in schools where school food programs are already operating to improve access.
• supporting school divisions, under the health promoting principle, to consider the development of public messaging for their schools.
• establishing relationships with experts in the field who could contribute to making inclusive food programming relevant to the populations being served. This may include building knowledge and skills in school divisions about diverse food needs through one professional learning event and consulting services.
• supporting school divisions to confirm school food programs are connected to educational outcomes.

Saskatchewan has some existing not-for-profit distribution partners currently distributing food to schools. Highlighting the principle of Flexibility, Saskatchewan will support school divisions to source local food in their programs by encouraging the use of local food distribution systems and local producers.

Reporting and data collection

Saskatchewan will be accountable by gathering systematic information on existing school food programs for the 2024 to 2025 school year, which will be used as baselines for most of the common indicators identified in Appendix A.

Three new metrics will be included in data collection efforts, pending consultations with stakeholders:

• Number / percent of students enrolled in public schools that have access to a school food program.
• Number of net new school food programs.
• Average daily participation in school food programs.

As part of data collection, Saskatchewan will develop a reporting system to capture metrics and will determine the interval for collection to report annually. This will include standardizing definitions and reporting methods for consistency.

Quality programming

Saskatchewan will continue to make educational and training material available, and as needed, revise support materials addressing needs identified during consultations.

Saskatchewan will support schools and local communities to provide meals that are nutritious and culturally relevant, demonstrating the Inclusive, Flexible and Health promoting principles.

Specific activities will include the following key actions:

• support school divisions to consider the nutritional value of meals in existing school food programs (such as, to address scurvy in the north).
• confirm food programming reflects community identities and is culturally relevant.
• contribute to the revision of Nourishing Minds (2024) consistent with Saskatchewan’s expansion program.
• support school divisions to align practices with the current Nourishing Minds - Eat Well-Learn Well-Live Well (2019) until the newer version is released.
• review the English and French curricula identifying opportunities to link NSFP activities to curricular outcomes.

Program support

Saskatchewan will maintain one permanent and one term staff to support program development and management, data collection, funding considerations, reporting requirements and scaling up to further expand the program in future years.

Program consultation

Saskatchewan will continue meaningful engagement with school divisions, Indigenous Partners and Official Language Minority Communities, putting into practice the inclusive and flexible principle.

Saskatchewan will continue to explore other options for consultation, including the Saskatchewan Agribusiness sector and experts in inclusive programming regarding diverse dietary needs.

Saskatchewan will also continue to consult and explore opportunities with other stakeholders and partners identified to contribute to the successful expansion of a school food program in the province. 

Program expansion

Saskatchewan will continue to develop programs identified in 2025 to 2026 for expansion in 2026 to 2027. Like 2025 to 2026, funding will be provided to school divisions for program expansion start up and operation reflecting the value of the accessible, flexible and sustainable principles of the NSFP.

The inclusion of students will be encouraged by:

• Supporting funded school food programs to accommodate the diverse dietary needs of their existing student populations.

Support for schools and local communities will be strengthened by:

• Encouraging relationship development between school divisions, local food producers and agribusiness sectors to promote the provision of local food products and program supports.
• Food programs expanding their connection to curriculum by growing Agriculture in the Classroom offerings and other land-based food programming.

Saskatchewan will plan to assess the success of the program by evaluating the reach and access by obtaining feedback on the program elements and implementation.

Data collection

For accountability, Saskatchewan will review the reporting processes and frequencies verifying their administrative simplicity to affirm continued compliance by stakeholders. 

Data collection will continue with regular reporting and information roll up.

Pending consultation with stakeholders, the addition of a new metric will be considered:

• The number of provincial schools offering school food programs that accommodate diverse dietary needs.

Quality programming

Saskatchewan will work with stakeholders to assess training material for service providers and will revise materials as needs are identified. Additionally, the province will encourage relationship building with local nutritionists who can assist school divisions with improving nutritional quality and the inclusion of diverse dietary needs.

Saskatchewan will continue to support schools and local communities to provide meals that are nutritious and culturally relevant, serving as examples of the Health promoting and Inclusive principles.

Key actions will include:

• Utilizing consultation feedback from 2025 to 2026 to support school divisions to improve the nutritional value of meals in existing school programs as contextualized by local needs.
• Determining additional training, materials or resources that are required regarding nutrition or culture. 
• Supporting school divisions to include land-based food program learning events to increase awareness and knowledge.
• Supporting schools that honour culture in their communities through school food programming events.

School divisions will demonstrate curricular connection towards building life skills around nutrition, food and well-being.

Key actions will include:

Confirm school food programs remain connected to educational outcomes and grow those connections by supporting professional development opportunities where appropriate.

Explore the potential for one professional development event following consultation with school divisions to determine what is needed.

Program support

Saskatchewan will maintain one permanent and one term staff for program management, data collection, funding allocation, reporting requirements and further expansion of the program. The temporary position will focus on curricular outcome work.

The actions in Saskatchewan’s implementation plan directly align with all the principles of the National School Food Policy. In both years, Saskatchewan will predominantly focus on the principles of Accessibility and Inclusivity through initiatives that reduce structural and cultural barriers for children to participate in programs and provide greater opportunity for more children to participate. 

Attention has been paid to include Health promoting and Sustainable qualities to program expansion through improvements to nutritional quality and health behaviours and attitudes, training and resource development and adequately resourcing the programs.

The inclusion of quality assurance initiatives with a robust reporting system and confirmation of incorporation of curricular outcomes will facilitate consistent and transparent monitoring and evaluation of the expansion initiatives.

Flexibility will be achieved as the programs expand to include locally-sourced food that is reflective of local and regional circumstances. This will be facilitated through consultation and facilitating relationship development.