The province is investing $80 million into the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program in 2025–26 so that schools are able to improve meal quality and reduce waste.

By introducing new menu items, reusable packaging, and adjustments to how meals are prepared and delivered, the program is able to increase it’s availability, expanding to all schools with middle and junior high students.

Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Brendan Maguire says, “We’re continuing to improve the school lunch program by listening to students and families, and making practical changes that matter.”

Starting on January 16th, new meals will be added to the menu at all schools across the province, and will include some vegetarian and gluten sensitive options.

Federal Secretary of State for Children and Youth Anna Gainey says, “We’re proud to partner with Nova Scotia to strengthen school food programs that reach more than 104,000 students across 334 schools. These improvements and innovations show how the National School Food Program delivers real results by helping kids access nutritious meals every day and advancing the adoption of sustainable practices.”

The Canadian company Friendlier is partnering with the province to pilot a new reusable containers initiative in 34 schools that serve about 26 thousand lunches every week.

The company is responsible for supplying clean containers for lunches as well as collecting used containers for professional cleaning. The containers can be reused up to 100 times and are recycled at the end of their lifecycle, significantly reducing single-use waste going into the landfill.

Chartwells, a foodservice provider across Canada, will provide lunches to the 34 schools taking part in Friendlier’s reusable container pilot program set to start at the end of February.

Friendlier Co-Founder Jacquie Hanton says, “By making reuse simple and accessible, Friendlier empowers students to eliminate daily packaging waste and build habits that last a lifetime. This initiative marks an important step toward scaling reuse across Nova Scotia.”

Parents and students can now look forward to new nutritious lunch options like pork and vegetarian egg roll bowls, chicken fingers, and gluten-friendly cornbread, and in some locations grilled cheese with tomato soup, and pork quesadillas.

Through the Government of Canada’s National School Food Program, Nova Scotia will receive about $12.4 million over three years to enhance and expand their school food programs.