Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck has promised a healthy school food program if her party is elected to form government. The provincial election hasn’t been announced yet, but will be on or before October 28th.

The school food program would provide operating funding to school divisions, schools, parent groups, or non-profits that organize to deliver food to students in public, separate or francophone schools. It would be locally adapted and integrated with existing programs and would begin with a provincial investment of $10 million, ramping up to $55.5 million annually by the end of the government term.

The plan would also be to broker a deal with the federal government to bolster funding. The program will focus on the use of food grown or raised in Saskatchewan through partnerships with the world-class producers and processors in Saskatchewan’s agricultural sector to promote the importance of grown-in-Saskatchewan products.