In June, Sen. Art Eggleton tabled a motion calling on the federal government to consult with key stakeholders to develop a cost-shared universal nutrition program across Canada.

As summer winds down and a new school year begins, the conversation about food in schools is once again heating up.

He is not the first senator to have made this call. Back in 1997, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance made the recommendation "to create a national school nutrition program" but no action was ever taken. In 2015, the Standing Committee on Social Affairs Science and Technology and the Minister of Health advocated "for childcare facility and school programs related to breakfast and lunch programs... and nutrition literacy courses."

A universal, national school food program would make sure that all students from kindergarten to Grade 12 have the same access to healthy food in school.

The case for such a program in Canada is already strong. So what needs to happen to make this a reality?

A patchwork of programs

Canada is lagging behind other high-income countries in providing nutritious food to children.

In a UNICEF report published last year, Canada ranked 37th out of 41 countries on access to nutritious food for children. That is below the United States.

One reason for this is Canada's patchwork of programs that serve only a fraction of kids. Funding for programs comes from several different stakeholders, including provincial and territorial governments, municipal governments and charities. This contrasts sharply with school food programs in other countries.

One reason for this is Canada's patchwork of programs that serve only a fraction of kids.

In Brazil for example, food is a constitutional right, which means that a national program feeds 47 million students at 190,000 schools each day.

The benefits are multiple, not only improving student nutrition, health and social development, but providing wider employment. The program supports local food systems and regional economic development, since 30 per cent of food purchased for the program comes from small family farms.

In Italy, school meals are a central part of education about national culture and health. In Rome, 70 per cent of ingredients in school meals are required by law to be organic. These are also local or regional foods, making school meals a local economic growth strategy as well.

In Finland, school lunches, which are free for all students, are the healthiest meal that students eat during the whole day.

It's time for action

These international examples illustrate how healthy food provision is prioritized elsewhere in the world. This pays off through an impressive return on investment for school food programs — of $3 to $10 for every dollar invested.