Growing Local: Strengthening School Food Programs with Ontario Food

With global trade tensions and tariffs on the rise, Sustain Ontario’s Growing Local: Strengthening School Food Programs with Ontario Food report, produced by Wilton Consulting Group and funded by the Greenbelt and Schad Foundations, draws attention to a simple but largely overlooked solution: school food programs. The report highlights that these programs could help drive demand for Ontario-grown food, potentially opening up a $200 million annual market.  

School food programs are essential elements of students’ health and learning with Ontario’s Student Nutrition Programs providing over 140 million meals and snacks to over a million students across Ontario every year. Ontario, and in particular the Greenbelt, holds significant potential for local food production. With more than 48,000 farms producing over 200 types of food, the province already supplies more than half of what Ontarians consume. The Greenbelt alone protects 750,000 acres of highly productive farmland, including major crops such as apples, peaches, carrots, and sweet corn.  

Through two case studies in the Southwest and Central West regions, the report outlines practical steps to better connect farmers, distributors, and schools, helping deliver high-quality, locally grown food to students while strengthening the regional food system.  

Key Recommendations 

• Strengthening collaboration between lead agencies and community partners;  
• Introducing a provincial school food and logistics coordinator;  
• Investing in local food and processing innovations;  
• Developing a seasonal menu toolkit for schools;  
• Streamlining data collection and reporting systems; 
• Ensuring better connections between farmers and Ontario’s Student Nutrition Program, and  
• Mapping the school food supply system in Ontario.