Students indicated that the snack program helped them to eat healthier by motivating them (74%), eating more fruit (86%), and making better dietary choices (68%). – Skinner et al. 2012
In Ontario, 1 in 9 children lives in poverty. Meanwhile, rates of diabetes & obesity are increasing among Ontario’s children. The serious consequences of these trends for children’s health and educational outcomes are foreseeable and the effects of those outcomes on Ontario’s health care costs and future economy can also be predicted. These problems could be elleviated with school food programs that ensure that children have both the nutrition and food literacy they need to focus on their studies today and to ensure their health in the future. (Baker, Campsie and Rabinowicz, 2010)
