New $3 Million Annual Investment Supports Local Food and 250 Local Jobs
TORONTO - Today, Mayor Olivia Chow announced the expansion of Toronto's School Food Program to 77 new schools, reaching 27,000 additional students this spring, putting the City on track to serve all 330,000 public school students by this fall.
The announcement was made at a new Second Harvest micro-processing facility in Etobicoke and highlighted a new $3 million annual City investment in centralized food purchasing and local jobs alongside community partners Toronto Foundation for Student Success (TFSS), and Second Harvest, which is part of the City’s overall $32 million school food budget.
Since Mayor Chow took office, the City has increased annual school food funding by over 80% and committed $16 million in one-time funding for new programs and kitchen infrastructure, including 201 refrigerators, 94 dishwashers, and 93 freezers across Toronto schools.
The $3 million investment supports Bridging the Nutrition Gap, a TFSS-led initiative that sources food directly from Ontario farmers, including apples from Durham Region, pears from Niagara, carrots from Thorndale, and dairy from across the province. Next school year, more than 400 schools will receive additional food from the initiative, 150 of which are a direct result of the City’s funding.
The initiative has also created over 250 new jobs in food delivery, processing, equipment manufacturing, and direct program delivery. Ten of those jobs will be at the new Second Harvest facility, processing food for schools lacking the infrastructure to prepare meals on-site, serving an estimated 70,000 students when fully operational later this year.
Earlier this year, Mayor Chow and the City of Toronto received the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2025–2026 Mayor's Challenge, securing support for community-based food systems which is additional to this investment in school food programs.
Every kid learns better on a full stomach, no matter their financial means. Universal school food programs improve access to healthy food, support better educational outcomes, and promote long-term physical health and mental well-being for children and youth.
QUOTES:
“As food costs continue to rise, one in four visitors to Toronto’s food banks are children. Our school food program made a big leap forward this spring, feeding 27,000 more kids and saving families nearly $900 a year on groceries. We are investing in local jobs and farms through the Bridging the Nutrition Gap initiative, getting more fresh food to Toronto’s kids.” - Mayor Olivia Chow
"Given that the cost of food has risen, almost 4% this year, it’s not surprising that many families across our city are facing food insecurity. Student Nutrition Program volunteers are telling us that the need is greater than ever and that the food they receive through Bridging the Nutrition Gap is making a huge difference, not only helping kids have enough food each school day, but also helping Student Nutrition Programs in staying open through the end of June. The program is already reaching more than 290 schools, and next school year it will expand to over 400." – Catherine Parsonage, CEO, Toronto Foundation for Student Success
“We’re proud to work alongside the City of Toronto and Toronto Foundation for Student Success to make sure more kids can start their day with healthy, nutritious food to learn and thrive at school. What makes this collaboration even more powerful is how it’s being done: by investing in the local food system, supporting local suppliers and creating good jobs right here in Toronto.” – Lori Nikkel, Second Harvest.