HALIFAX — Nourish Nova Scotia wants to make sure there’s always an answer to the question `what’s for lunch?’ They launched a new cookbook, “What’s for Lunch?” at NourishFest in Halifax on Sunday, filled with recipes from school lunches from across the province. The recipes were all kid-and-adult tested, with the goal of eating local and seasonal food. From blueberry French toast to butter chicken, to a potato soup bar and a smoothie station, NourishFest showcased many of the recipes, and invited people to learn how to make their own versions at home. The Nova Scotia school lunch program rolled out last year in elementary schools across the province and expanded to middle grade and junior high schools this year. The province now offers a rotating menu of 40 lunches at more than 250 schools, feeding more than 104,000 children every day. The program works on a pay-what-you-can model, and is kept anonymous, so no one has to publicly disclose what they are able to pay. Aimee Gasparetto, executive director of Nourish Nova Scotia, says the cookbook is about celebrating and strengthening local food systems by getting kids invested in what they are eating. “I couldn’t stress enough how important it is to have nutritious food at school,” Gasparetto says. “We know that when kids have access to nutritious food, they learn better, they’re more confident, they’re able to connect with their peers, they’re just able to be more present in the school environment.” Just under 30 per cent of Nova Scotians are food insecure, meaning they don’t have access to enough food, with Black and Indigenous households more likely to be food insecure. Minister of Education Brendan Maguire says he personally knows what it’s like to go to school while not having enough food. “You’re sitting in class, you’re trying to learn, you have an empty stomach, you don’t know when you’re going to get food again. The last thing on your mind will be algebra when you’re hungry, right?” Maguire says the province learned a lot from their initial launch of the lunch program last year, and has made some changes this year as the program expands. They’ve changed food packaging to reduce waste, and tweaked recipes for wider appeal. He says consultation with students will continue as the province looks to expand into high schools in the future. Producers like Justin Mackenzie are excited about the expansion, and are working with the province to include as much local food as possible in the lunch program. Mackenzie works with The Station Food Hub, in Windsor, N.S, which “upcycles” unwanted fruits and veggies into useable products like mashed potatoes, soups and preserves. The Station Food Hub was able to purchase apple cutting machinery earlier this year, and are now able to cut 70 cases of apples a day to distribute to schools across Nova Scotia. They plan to expand the production to cut up to 400 cases, or 60,000 portions, of apples a day, which would replace imported fruit offerings like canned melon or mandarins. “If you say you’re going to support local, you just have to do it,” Mackenzie says. For Annik Stevens and her 11-year-old daughter, Amy, the cookbook is an opportunity to expand their food horizons. Amy’s favourite lunches include macaroni and cheese, pizza, and leek soup. Stevens says she’s excited to try some other offerings, and that Amy enjoyed tasting both the smoothie samples and the local apples. Stevens, who also works at a school, says she sees first hand how important school lunches are. “It’s easier to focus, and it makes school a safe place when you know you’re going to get a meal there.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2025.
