What is it?

In January 2010, the Ontario Ministry of Education passed new legislation placing restrictions on what types of food can be sold in Ontario elementary schools. The School Food and Beverage Act will come into effect September 2011. To view a copy of the Act, please click here.

What is the goal?

To support healthier food environments for kids by ensuring that foods sold on school property meet specific nutritional requirements.

Who is responsible for implementing these guidelines?

School boards and their representatives [i.e the principal]

What’s covered:

All foods sold on school property during school hours, regardless of origin must meet specific nutritional requirements. This includes food service providers, restaurants, parents, school run canteens and vending machines.

What’s exempt:

1. 10 food events each school year
2. Food offered to students without cost
3. Student lunches from home
4. School trips
5. The staff room

However, it is the Ministry’s hope that school communities will work together to support healthier choices across all venues, events, and programs.

New Legislation — How can the Lunch Lady help?

We were involved from the start. We were honoured to be invited by the Ministry of Education to participate on the Healthy Menus Writing Team set up to support the introduction of the New Legislation. We learned a lot through our participation and as a result have a very clear understanding of the requirements of the Ontario School Food and Beverage Act. Because we operate in the same environment as you we can zero in on the challenges and the opportunities.

We are already committed to healthier choices:

Our company president, Ruthie Burd, has made it her business to promote healthier food at school by finding ways to offer healthier versions of kid-friendly favourites since she began the Lunch Lady in 1993. Today the Lunch Lady is the largest provider of individually catered meals delivered to elementary schools in Canada, serving nearly 2 million meals this year. We have been doing voluntarily what the government is now legislating. Our own programs will be in full compliance with the new legislation by September 2010.

We already provides nutritional information.

We already provide nutritional information on all our meals and do full allergy management so we are very comfortable answering questions and addressing your concerns about nutritional requirements. .

We understand the concerns of school staff, parents and school councils.

We are happy to make presentations about the legislation, the implications of implementation and offer fundraising alternatives that meet the requirements.

Questions?

Do have any questions about the new legislation, or want to know more about how we can help you and your school community? Contact us at info@thelunchlady.ca and we'd love to help!