Whereas 1.7 million Canadian households, including almost 500,000 individuals in BC alone, experience food insecurity, and the current patchwork of school food programming reaches only a small percentage of our over 5 million students, with Canada remaining one of the only Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development nations without a national school food program; And whereas the Coalition for Healthy School Food is working at a national level to advocate for the creation of a cost-shared Universal Healthy School Food Program that will enable all students in Canada to have access to healthy meals at school, serving culturally appropriate, local, sustainable food to the fullest extent possible: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities advocate for a Universal Healthy School Food Program to provincial and federal governments.
Ministry of Education Government supports a suite of provincial school-based healthy eating programs including Farm to School BC, the BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program and Action Schools! BC. These programs, along with the Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools, help to create school environments that support healthy eating by offering greater access to healthy food while enhancing students knowledge, attitudes and skills. The Ministry of Education provides over 63 million in annual funding to school districts, via CommunityLINK Learning Includes Nutrition and Knowledge and the Vulnerable Student Supplement, to meet the unique needs of their vulnerable student populations. Approximately 25 of this funding is used by school districts to support school meal and snack programs. The Ministry of Education is committed to continuing to work with school districts, provincial education and ministry partners, and other key stakeholders, to meet the unique needs of vulnerable students across the province.
Health Canada Health Canada recognizes the important role that schools and communities play in supporting the nutritional health of children. While Health Canadas initiatives, such as Canadas Food Guide, underpin many school food guidelines and nutritional programs, the responsibility for the provision of food in schools rests with provincial and territorial governments. At Health Canada we remain focused on the Healthy Eating Strategy, where we have committed to improving the food environment to make healthier eating choices easier for all Canadians, including children. The Strategy focuses on improving healthy eating information, strengthening labelling and claims, revising Canadas Food Guide, restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children, increasing access to and availability of nutritious foods, and improving the nutritional quality of food. Health Canada recently concluded online public consultations on Canadas Food Guide and marketing unhealthy foods and beverages to children. The results of these consultations will be published in two What We Heard reports in early 2018. Although the consultations are now closed, our proposed approach to marketing restrictions is available online and includes the recommendations to restrict marketing of unhealthy food and drinks in schools: https:www.healthyeatingconsultations.camarketing-to-kids. In addition, you can view the draft recommendations and supporting evidence that were presented in Canadas Food Guide consultation at: http:wwwfoodguideconsultation.ca. To receive updates regarding our healthy eating initiatives and a notification when the What We Heard Report is published, please sign-up on the CSIMS registry here: https:csims-sgici.hc-sc.gc.cacsimslogin.html, if you have not already done so. At the Areas of Interest screen, select: Food Safety and Nutrition.
FCM At the latest board meeting in March 2018, the FCM Board of Directors considered the resolution and adopted it as Category A Concurrence. This category contains resolutions not addressed by FCM in the last three years that are the direct responsibility or concern of Canadian municipalities beyond a regional level and falls within the jurisdiction of the federal government. As this resolution has been adopted with concurrence, it will guide future FCM policy positions. In support of this adopted resolution, a letter will be sent to the relevant federal government minister outlining the call for action directed at the federal government contained in the resolution.