All N.B. schools to be included in school breakfast program, lunch program left out

New Brunswick is offering a breakfast program for all schools.

The New Brunswick government said Wednesday all schools in the province will have access to its free breakfast program, though a promised lunch plan was not announced.

Premier Susan Holt promised during last year’s election campaign to provide free or low-cost food at schools.

That promise has been put on hold for the school year because the province wants to prioritize the expansion of the school breakfast program.

She pledged to offer students free, nutritious breakfasts, as well as pay-what-you-can lunches starting September 2025.

After Wednesday’s announcement at Central New Brunswick Academy in Upper Miramichi, Holt said a pay-what-you can school lunch program is in development.

“We’ve learned in conservations with schools the kind of infrastructure they need to make a lunch program work. We’re making investments this year in the kind of equipment that they need and the kind of supports that they need so that when we roll it out we’re going to roll it out to everybody smoothly,” said Holt. “We’re getting that lunch program supported and set up this year and ready to roll for next year.”

Holt said some schools need more refrigerators, equipment and counter space before every school is setup to roll out the program next September.

The province was originally modelling it’s program after one on Prince Edward Island while learning from Nova Scotia which recently rolled out its own pay-what-you-can lunch program.

“We want to do a rollout that is smooth, that is non-disruptive, that is equitable and gets everyone up to the same bar. We want to get it right. We don’t want to blunder and trip over working out the kinks on the backs of students and teachers in the middle of a school year,” said Holt.

Education Minister Claire said the province is giving itself a little more time to make sure they are well organized.

“Of course there’s some disappointment. We would have loved to have made those changes and roll it out as quickly as possible, but we’re really happy that we’re doing it with the breakfast program,” said Johnson.

Johnson said having the breakfast program at all of the province’s 296 schools is something to be happy about while the lunch plan is being developed.

“We’re a little disappointed that lunch is going to wait, around a year, but that’s the reality and we think it’s worth the wait,” said Johnson.

Last year, 136 schools had access to healthy breakfasts during a partnership with Feed NB. This year, all the province’s seven school districts are included.

“Feed NB is thrilled to partner with the provincial government to make breakfast a reality for every student in the province,” said Stéphane Sirois, the organization’s executive director. “This is a big step towards our vision of a hunger-free New Brunswick.”

The provincial and federal governments are spending $13 million under the contract extension.

New Brunswick announced in February it had secured more than $11 million from the federal government to expand and enhance access to school food programs. The province has committed to an additional annual investment of $2 million.

“We are thrilled that, this year, all schools in New Brunswick will have access to breakfast, bringing in the 160 schools previously left out,” said Holt in a news release.

The breakfast options include nutritious choices such as apples, milk, eggs, cheese, bread, cereal, bagels and other options.

The province says ingredients will be locally-sourced when possible or from across Canada.

Nearly one-in-four New Brunswick children arrives at school hungry every day, according to Statistics Canada.

With files from The Canadian Press

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