About quebec chapter
The Quebec Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food is the initiative of a group of organizations that mobilized during the last provincial elections in 2017 to take action to put school food on the agenda. In 2019, this same core group of organization representatives, demonstrating leadership and inspired by a common vision, took the initiative to form the Quebec Chapter to advocate for investments by Quebec's provincial and local governments in a universal, cost-sharing healthy school food program. Building on existing programs across the country, the Quebec Chapter envisions that all schools will eventually serve a nutritious meal and/or snack to students at little or no cost and that these programs will include food literacy, and serve local, culturally appropriate, and responsible food wherever possible.
The Quebec Chapter now includes more than 100 not-for-profit organizations, all of which share the common vision of obtaining a universal school food program that provides children, regardless of their economic situation, with the healthy food they need to learn and grow during their school day. Together with 350 organizations in Canada that are members of the Coalition for Healthy School Food (CHSF), the members of the Quebec Chapter share the values put forward in the guiding principles established by the CHSF.
For more information, contact Danie Martin, danie@sainealimentationscolaire.ca, Coordinator of the Quebec Chapter.
WANT TO BECOME A MEMBER ?
It's free and easy! All you have to do is be an NPO and agree with our 8 guiding principles and fill in a form. Members receive newsletters on our actions and advances in school food, and have voting rights at the annual meeting. Non-profit organizations and government agencies can also support our efforts by becoming endorsers.
Situation in Quebec
In Quebec, the situation is characterized by a wide disparity in access to school food programs. Some school boards support the implementation of such programs in certain schools, but this is not universal. Most initiatives, often run by community organizations, focus on the most disadvantaged schools, relying heavily on parents, volunteers and other community members for their development, management and funding. This disparate approach does not meet the needs of all students for access to healthy meals, and is marked by instability due to short-term funding, often determined by the poverty index of a neighborhood or school. When this index falls, funding can be withdrawn, affecting program continuity. This situation is all the more worrying given that, in Quebec, one child in five lives in a food-insecure household, with a growing number of families relying on emergency food aid. A universal school food program would harmonize existing initiatives and simplify their implementation for schools.
A portrait of programs in Quebec
The Quebec Chapter has drawn up a partial portrait of school food and literacy programs in Quebec, for the 2023/2024 school year. Discover the key figures (figures are an estimate of programs in Quebec, based on data collected by the Quebec Chapter) :
School food programs
821
programs in total in
670
different schools for nearly
111,500
students served daily
Food literacy programs
704
programs in total in
613
different schools for over
74,500
students reached
OUR members
The member organizations of the Quebec Chapter bring together stakeholders from diverse regions and sectors in the province to dialogue, share resources and collaborate on collective advocacy, research and best-practice exchange projects. For more details, see our mandate (only in French). See the complete list of our members here.
OUR ACTIONS
The Quebec Chapter and its partners are active on the school food scene in Quebec, notably through concerted action, mobilization and advocacy projects!
Discover our 3 main initiatives:
Chantier PASUQ
Chantier PASUQ is a project that aims to establish a universal school food program in Quebec to offer equal opportunities for success to all young people, regardless of their socio-economic situation.
Initiated by the Club des petits déjeuners and members of the Quebec Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, the project focuses on documenting and evaluating best practices in school nutrition in Quebec, with the aim of formulating and submitting concerted recommendations to the various levels of government to ensure implementation of this program.
bien Manger à l'école CAMPAIGN
The “Bien Manger à l'École” campaign, initiated by Chantier PASUQ partners and supported by Équiterre, aims to establish a universal school food program in Quebec, ensuring that all children have access to healthy, affordable and sustainable meals during their school day.
Through this citizen support campaign, the aim is to obtain the government's commitment to implement this program in all public schools in Quebec.
Great big crunch quebec
In 2025, the Quebec Chapter will launch The Great Big Crunch Quebec, the first French-language edition aimed at all those who want to crunch and make noise in favor of healthy school food, including schools, students, teachers, parents, organizations, and all Quebec partners!
RESOURCES IN SCHOOL FOOD
Coalition's Very Own Frequently Asked Questions
[Webinar] Building Momentum for a National School Food Program!
File for members and ENDORSERS of the QUEBEC CHAPTER
We are making available to our members and endorsers a file containing our latest communications, useful information for their advocacy and government mobilisation efforts, as well as a wide range of resources for talking about school food!
Access limited to our list of members and endorsers.