Federal investment helping more students access nutritious food while making life more affordable for Alberta families
September 9, 2026 Calgary, Alberta Employment and Social Development
As students return to the classroom, the Honourable Anna Gainey, Secretary of State (Children and Youth) visited RancheView School in Cochrane to mark the start of the new school year and highlight how federal and provincial investments are helping more children access nutritious food at school.
Through the National School Food Program, the federal government aims to provide meals to up to 400,000 children each year. For the 2026-27 school year, federal funding for provincial and territorial school food programs has doubled from 2024-25 levels to $140 million annually, helping enhance and expand school food programs across Canada.
Under the Canada-Alberta National School Food Program Agreement, the Government of Canada's $17.6 million investment for 2026-27 builds on Alberta's annual funding of $20 million for the School Nutrition Program Grant, creating more opportunities for students to access healthy food at school. Together, these investments will help schools provide more meals, improve nutritional quality, expand programming to additional students, and establish new school nutrition programs in schools that do not currently offer them.
The combined investment strengthens support for the more than 58,000 students already benefiting from Alberta's School Nutrition Program while extending access to even more children and families across the province.
On average, participating families across Canada with two children in school can save an estimated $800 in grocery bills per year. Nutritious food at school promotes children's health and learning, eases grocery costs for families, and fosters a more resilient Canadian food system that supports local economies, Canadian farmers and food producers.
