Every student in Nova Scotia will have access to a healthy breakfast.
Last month the provincial government announced it’s more than doubled it’s funding to the School Healthy Eating Program.
It’s now just under $2 million.
This means every school across the province can offer the program, and allow others to expand.
Margo Riebe-Butt with Nourish NS says it helps increase the quality and variety of food being served.
“In 2005 there was 98 programs in about 25 per cent of schools, so now 92 per cent of schools got programming,” she says.
“So you can see the pot got watered down over the years, so the investment was much needed.”
Riebe-Butt with Nourish NS says this has been the first significant increase since it first began in 2005.
She says it allows schools to operate their programs more effectively.
“We haven’t allowed pop or candy in school in a really long time, but there’s always work to do to try and get more vegetables and fruits in front of kids.”
Riebe-Butt says this helps increase the quality and variety of food being served.
She says children who eat a nutritous breakfast do better in class and have better educational outcomes.
The program served more than five million breakfasts last year.
