The BC School Food Toolkit is a website filled with tools and resources to support schools with nutrition decisions to create and maintain healthy school food environments. It provides flexible options to support each school to meet their unique needs and operational circumstances with ideas for making changes when and where possible.
The nutrition resources and suggestions in the toolkit can be used in planning nutritious meals and snacks for any school program, and in a way that best meets the needs of the students being served.
The toolkit provides voluntary guidance to those who are responsible for making food purchasing and meal planning decisions on behalf of a school food program.
The toolkit provides voluntary guidance to those responsible for making food purchasing and meal planning decisions on behalf of a school food program. For example, school food coordinators working with the Feeding Futures Initiative are encouraged to use the resources and suggestions in the toolkit to best meet the needs of their school’s unique student population when ensuring access to nutritious foods.
The toolkit can be used by anyone looking for ideas to increase their offerings of nutritious foods and support a healthy food environment.
School food coordinators working with the Feeding Futures Initiative can use the toolkit to plan meals and support food purchasing decisions for the school food community. The toolkit contains nutrition resources and suggestions to best meet the needs of their school’s unique student population when planning nutritious meals and snacks and supporting schools to make changes when and where possible.
It also provides strategies and suggestions to create healthy school food environments that meet the diverse food needs of students, while helping students to develop and maintain a positive relationship with food.
Yes. School food providers are encouraged to use the resources and suggestions in the toolkit to make changes, when and where possible, and in a way that best meets the needs of their unique student population.
Teach Food First: An Educator’s Toolkit for Exploring Canada’s Food Guide. The Educator’s Toolkit provides guidance for teachers who will be teaching about food and nutrition.
Use food labels – Canada’s Food Guide -Provides information on how to use food labels, such as understanding the % Daily Value found on the Nutrition Facts Table.
Feeding Futures is the provincial funding program for school food programs led by the Ministry of Education and Child Care. The BC School Food Toolkit supports schools to create and maintain healthy school food environments, promote students’ ability to make healthy eating decisions and increase students’ access to nutritious and culturally preferred foods.
You can quickly access PDFs for Food lists, Sample Menu Plans and Recipes.
Individual schools are in the best position to determine what foods can be offered, sold or served in their schools. The general nutrition information includes lists of foods and beverages that are recommended to be Served Frequently, as well as Served Infrequently (and in smaller serving sizes).
The toolkit does not apply to food and beverages that are brought from home. Food choices sent from home are the choice of the parent/caregiver. There are many factors that influence what food and beverages a parent/caregiver sends from home including culture, their child’s food preferences, sensory needs or dietary needs, access to foods in their community, and household finances for food.
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines “infrequently” as placed or occurring at wide intervals in space or time. When menu planning consider offering the ‘Serve Infrequently’ foods less often. This may look different between schools. For example, if offering a 4-week menu cycle, this could look like offering the food once or twice during the cycle. If offering a 2-week menu cycle, this could look like offering the food once in the cycle.
When offering foods from the “Serve Infrequently” foods, consider using smaller serving sizes.
Schools are encouraged to create meal plans that best meet the needs of their student population. The food lists provide a list of foods to Serve Frequently for each food category. You can also find these lists along with some additional information on the general nutrition information page.
Highly processed foods are foods and drinks that when processed or prepared have excess sodium, sugars or saturated fat added. If you offer highly processed foods (e.g. French fries, deli meats, hot dogs), try to offer them less often, in smaller quantities, or serve them with other nutritious options, such as adding a side of vegetables or fruit.
Processed meat such as hot dogs, deli meats, pepperoni and pepperoni sticks are high in sodium and saturated fat. Regular consumption of these foods has been linked to an increased risk of colon cancer. For a list of ideas to replace processed meats, see what can I serve instead of processed meats.
Water should always be available at school. The BC School Food Toolkit recommends offering at least one beverage at each meal and snack during the school day, which contains at least 25% Daily Value for calcium and is fortified with at least 10% Daily Value for vitamin D, in addition to offering water. Examples include:
Beverages high in sugar or containing sugar substitutes can displace the intake of water and other nutritious beverages such as milk and fortified plant-based beverages that contain important nutrients for healthy growth and development. Therefore, the suggestion is to offer high-sugar beverages or beverages containing sugar substitutes infrequently.
Calcium and vitamin D are important nutrients for children and youth as they have higher needs to support their bone growth. Since many children and youth do not get enough calcium and vitamin D, school food programs can be an important source of these nutrients.
Plant-based beverages, including those made with soy, almond, rice, coconut, hemp, oat, or pea beverages are available in stores and are often used in place of plain milk. Some plant-based beverages may be fortified with calcium and vitamin D, but not all are fortified with the same amounts of these nutrients.
When choosing a fortified plant-based beverage, look for one that contains at least 25% DV for calcium and 10% DV for vitamin D.
Plain fortified soy beverage is nutritionally equivalent to 2% cow’s milk and is considered a Protein food in Canada’s Food Guide. However, most other unsweetened fortified plant-based beverages are low in protein and fat even when fortified in calcium and vitamin D and are therefore not considered Protein foods.
The Nutrition Facts Table found on the food or beverage, together with the ingredient list, can help with comparing products to make healthier choices.
Using the % Daily Value (%DV) displayed on a Nutrition Facts Table helps you see if there is a little (5% DV or less) or a lot (15% DV) of a nutrient in foods and beverages per serving size.
When choosing foods and beverages, try to choose those that contain less than 15% DV per serving for sodium, sugars, and saturated fats.
Visit the general nutrition information page or quickly access the food list to determine whether a food or beverage is considered a Serve Frequently or a Serve Infrequently item.
For additional support, reach out to your school district’s public health dietitian or you can also call 8-1-1 and ask to speak to a registered dietitian.
For more information on label reading, please visit Use food labels – Canada’s food guide.
Sugar substitutes are not needed to make healthy eating choices and do not offer any nutritional value. Although foods and beverages with sugar substitutes may not contain sugar, or contain less sugar than those sweetened with sugars, they still taste sweet. Canada’s food guide indicates that regularly consuming foods and beverages that contain sugar substitutes can lead to a preference for sweet foods.
Instead of using foods and beverages with sugar substitutes, it is recommended to decrease the amount of sugar we use and choose unsweetened food and beverages. Consuming unsweetened food and beverages is especially important for children and youth as they are developing their taste preferences and lifelong eating habits.
For more information visit: Sugar substitutes and healthy eating (Health Canada).
There are many reasons that someone may choose organic foods. From a food safety perspective, according to Health Canada, there is no evidence that organic foods are safer to eat when it comes to pesticide residue concerns.
Organic foods are not more or less nutritious than conventionally grown foods. When choosing foods, rather than focusing on organic versus conventionally grown foods, offer more nutritious foods by providing whole or minimally processed foods.
It is important to follow proper food handling and preparation practices regardless of whether foods are organic or not.
To learn more about the differences between organic foods and conventionally grown foods you can visit: Understanding organic foods or visit Organic claims on food labels to learn more on how organic foods are regulated in Canada.
Many public institutions are starting their journey to embed more traditional and Indigenous foods and recipes into their food programs. A good place to start is Cooking in Two Worlds (PDF, 7.6MB, Feed BC), a process guide for incorporating Indigenous Foods into Institutions, authored by Indigenous Chefs and Food Educators and informed by Knowledge Holders across BC. Companion resources, such as “where to begin” and “how to build relationships” can be found on Indigenous and traditional foods in public institutions (Government of B.C.).
Feed BC defines a “B.C. food” as a food that is produced and/or processed within British Columbia. For more information and examples, see the Feed BC Program Standards (PDF, 454KB).
The BC Food Directory offers a searchable B.C. food and beverage product database for commercial and institutional buyers. For additional tips and information on sourcing B.C. foods for K-12 schools visit Feed BC in kindergarten to grade12 schools.
The BuyBC guide (PDF, 377KB) provides a local, seasonal foods calendar.
We may not know all the circumstances and contexts of a student’s life including why they are not eating certain foods. Offering a variety of nutritious foods alongside familiar foods and allowing students to decide what and how much to eat allows them to trust their body and to explore new foods at their own pace. For example, try offering baby carrots and plain milk alongside the familiar deli meat sandwich. Exposure to new foods, in a pressure-free environment, over time can lead to acceptance. For more information, see Ideas to increase nutrition and Division of Responsibility.
Sometimes, when we honor a student’s right to decide how much or whether to eat, there is food waste. Food waste can be upsetting, but it is also a necessary part of learning how to eat. Giving students pressure-free opportunities to try food, taste and put food back down, or not finish what is on their plate, creates the comfort and safety needed to develop eating competence. To minimize food waste:
The Division of Responsibility in Feeding outlines the different roles that adults and children have with regards to feeding and eating.
In the school context:
| Caregiver decides | School decides | Student decides |
|---|---|---|
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To find out more, including examples of language that supports the Division of Responsibility in Feeding when discussing food and eating with students during meals and snacks, visit Division of Responsibility.
The Food safety section answers many of the common questions and concerns around food safety permits, food safety training and how to prevent foodborne illnesses.
Yes, under certain circumstances, it may be possible to accept and use donated food for a school meal program. The Food Donor Encouragement Act protects donors from liability when donating or distributing food, if the donor does not intend to do harm, and the donated food is not adulterated, rotten, or unfit for human consumption. The act encourages organizations to make donations of perishable food that can provide a valuable source of nutrition to recipients. For more information on how school can prepare for donations of safe and healthy food, please visit Food donation guidelines (BCCDC).
If you accept donated foods, it is advised to accept it from a trusted source and maintain records for traceability purposes. Regardless of source, it is important to ensure that proper food safety practices are being followed.
For more food safety information, visit the Food safety page
Yes, but schools are responsible for ensuring that the meat and dairy is sourced from an approved/licensed facility. Schools can visit the following links to ensure their source is an approved/licensed facility.
For more food safety information, visit the Food safety page
Yes, schools can purchase whole fruits and vegetables directly from farms.
It is the responsibility of the school to ensure that the produce they are purchasing is from a reputable source. Please note that regardless of source, food handlers at schools should treat all raw produce from farms as potentially contaminated and wash them thoroughly prior to further processing.
For more food safety information, visit the Food safety page.
Storing fresh fruits and vegetables properly is an important step in keeping them safe to eat. While it is a good general rule to refrigerate most fruits and vegetables, there are a few exceptions. Knowing which foods can be stored outside a fridge can increase some schools’ capacity for storing fruits and vegetables. Ask your grocer/fruit/vegetable supplier if you are not certain which specific items need to be refrigerated. Please see Health Canada’s resource on Produce safety for more information.
Canned fruit is another option for those with limited fridge capacity. They have a long shelf-life and usually do not require refrigeration when unopened. This can be especially helpful in the winter months when fresh B.C. fruits are harder to access. Some examples include unsweetened applesauce or slices of pears, peaches or mandarins in their juice or water. Follow storage instructions on products to ensure proper food safety.
For more food safety information, visit the Food safety page
The following text pulled from Cooking in Two Worlds: A Process Guide for Incorporating Indigenous Foods into Institutions (PDF, 7.6MB, Feed BC) provides some considerations around incorporating more Indigenous foods in schools: Indigenous people and food producers are just as concerned with food safety as anyone else. In fact, many cultural protocols around food not only reinforce food safety standards, but often go above and beyond what is required. In most communities there are First Nations Health Authority Environmental Health Officers that provide communities with support to create food safety regulations or standards, where needed. Many Environmental Health Officers are also on their cultural safety and humility learning journey, and this is another group of people institutions can build relationships with to create common understanding. Both the communities and environmental health officers can be resources for ensuring food safety. It is important to remember Indigenous communities have been preparing food for thousands of years for whole communities so are a wealth of knowledge.
Connecting with a First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) Environmental Health Officer (EHO) can be a great place to start for schools interested in exploring how to incorporate traditional foods in school meal programs. For more information on the benefits of increasing access to traditional foods in schools and some strategies on how to get started, please visit the Indigenous foods page.
For more food safety information, visit the Food safety page
Yes, iodine and quaternary ammonium compounds are alternative options – please see Common Sanitizing Solutions (PDF,307KB, Food Safe) for information about these sanitizers. Other Health Canada approved options may be found at this link: https://health-products.canada.ca/dpd-bdpp/
For more food safety, information visit the Food safety page
If scalding is a concern, a temperature mixing valve can be installed at water fixtures. It is important to note that there is a potential concern for legionella in water systems, as such, there are minimum temperatures that should be maintained.
Commercial dishwashers: If using a commercial dishwasher, dishwashing and sanitizing can occur either with hot water sanitizing (minimum temperature of 82°C) or chemical sanitizing. Booster heaters may be purchased to use with a commercial high-temperature dish washer if the regular water source produces insufficient water temperatures. Manufacturers may have a minimum water supply temperature required in order to maintain appropriate temperatures for the dishwasher cycles or for booster heater performance.
With chemical sanitizing, the water temperature does not need to get as hot. For more information, please see: Commercial Dishwashing Specifications: Guideline for Mechanical Warewashing in Food Service Establishments (PDF, 313KB, BCCDC).
Residential (non-commercial) dishwashing: A residential dishwasher may also be used to effectively clean and sanitize dishes if it is certified to “NSF/ANSI 184: Residential Dishwashers”. This standard helps confirm that a residential dishwasher can achieve a minimum 99.999 percent or 5-log reduction of bacteria when operated on the sanitizing cycle. For more information, please visit Dishwasher Certification.
Manual dishwashing: For manual dishwashing, a 3-compartment sink is needed. The water temperature would need to reach a minimum temperature of 44°C if there is a final (chemical) sanitizing step. If relying on temperature to sanitize, the requirement is for at least 30 seconds in water at a temperature of at least 77°C. For more information, please see: Food protection (PDF, 753KB, BCCDC).
For more food safety information, visit the Food safety page
As a school food coordinator or school food program lead in your district, if you have any questions on how to increase the nutrition of the foods served in your school, please feel free to contact a public health dietitian in your area/district working with schools:
Call toll-free in B.C., 8-1-1, or 7-1-1 for the deaf and hard of hearing to get personalized assistance. Speak to a navigator who can guide you to reliable health information or connect you with a health professional. Translation services are available in over 130 languages.
