The Impact of Healthy Food on Children's Learning
In Vancouver, the rising cost of living and economic pressures are straining household budgets. The prevalence of food insecurity among elementary students highlights a pressing challenge: a hungry child is a child that struggles to learn.
The Precarious Nature of School Meal Funding in Vancouver
Earlier this year, the City reduced funding for the Vancouver School Board’s (VSB) Food4Schools program from $320,000 to $162,500, creating a significant shortfall. As VSB Chair Victoria Jung emphasized to the Vancouver Sun, “Whether people are aware of the food insecurities in our city or not, there’s a huge need for these programs. Kids can’t learn when they’re hungry.” In response, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB) and Nicola Wealth stepped in with a $170,000 donation, restoring the program’s funding to its original level.
Access to healthy nutrition is vital to a child’s development and ability to thrive in school and life. For many children in Vancouver, school lunch represents the most consistent and healthy meal they receive in a day. The seriousness of the issue led Councilors Rebecca Bligh and Pete Fry to introduce a motion to reinstate full funding, which was passed unanimously by City Council. They also urged the Province to ensure Vancouver receives its fair share of school meal program funding.
This series of events highlights the precariousness of access to healthy food for children in our community. In sections ahead, we will explore just how great an impact healthy food can have on a child’s cognitive development and overall behavior in a learning environment.
How Healthy Food Powers Learning
The human brain consumes 20% of our daily energy. Without the right nutrients, children may struggle with fatigue, poor concentration, and emotional instability (Psychology Today). Science consistently shows that nutrition is foundational to academic success.
While much research on the importance of nutrition to childhood development focuses on the first 1000 days of life (0 to 3 years old), it is found that children between the ages of 4 and 10 have twice the metabolic rate of adults. Their metabolism then remains elevated until late adolescence. This means that children feel adverse effects from fasting more quickly and keenly than adults. Without a steady supply of glucose and nutrients from healthy meals, a child’s cognitive performance will drop dramatically.
Nutritionally vulnerable children are more likely to face behavioral issues, be frequently absent, and receive lower grades. However, research from the Colorado Education Initiative showed that after implementing universal breakfast programs, schools saw reduced absenteeism, improved GPA, and lower student- and parent-reported hunger. This evidence is backed by further studies.
According to the Brookings Institution, students who attend schools that provide a healthy lunch see a 4 percentile point increase in test scores. These gains are 40% higher for students receiving free or reduced-price lunches, the students most likely to rely on school food programs. Additional data from an analysis by Deloitte and Share Our Strength found that school breakfast programs can lead to a 17.5% increase in math scores and improved attendance by 1.5 days per year.
How exactly does having access to healthy food have such a profound effect on learning? The answer is micronutrients!
Key Micronutrients That Fuel the Developing Brain
A child’s cognitive and emotional development depends on a regular intake of specific nutrients. Below are some of the most important brain-boosting micronutrients:
- Iron: Supports oxygen delivery to the brain and neurotransmitter development. Deficiency can cause fatigue and poor concentration.
- Zinc: Aids in memory formation and cellular signaling in the brain. Low levels are linked to attention problems.
- Choline: Key to forming acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that supports memory and mood. Crucial for brain cell membrane integrity.
- Folate (Vitamin B9): Essential for DNA synthesis and brain function. Plays a role in emotional regulation.
- Iodine: Needed for thyroid hormones that regulate brain development. Deficiency can reduce IQ and school performance.
- Vitamin D: Aids mood and cognitive health. Low levels are associated with depression.
- Vitamin B12: Supports nervous system health, attention span, and memory.
These micronutrients work in concert with each other. A deficiency in one can affect the body’s ability to intake and process other nutrients. See the table below for another look at how these micronutrients impacts healthy brain function in a learning environment:
The Reality of Child Food Insecurity in Canada
Across Canada, food insecurity affects 1 in 4 children (National School Food Policy – Canada.ca). According to the latest UNICEF Report Card measuring child well-being, 33% of Canadian children reported feeling hungry at school every or almost every day in 2019. This percentage was above the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average of 27.4 per cent, with only about half of schools estimated to have a school meal program.
This UNICEF Report Card also cited a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) found that “Children and adolescents in food-insecure households had a 55% higher prevalence of outpatient contacts . . . and a 74% higher prevalence of acute care contacts . . . for a mental or substance use disorder” (Anderson et al., 2023).
All this evidence demonstrates how food insecurity has wide-reaching effects on the lives of children at this critical time of learning and growth. The pressure to stretch household food budgets often results in increased consumption of ultra-processed foods high in sugar, salt, and fat, which are linked to both physical and mental health concerns. Which is why reducing barriers for families of school-age children to access healthy food is so important.
The Benefits of Providing Children with Healthy Food in School
Investing in school food pays long-term dividends. Canada’s recently released National School Food Policy referenced data from The World Food Programme that every dollar of funding for school food programs has a $3 to $10 return. The policy also stated that “studies in the US and UK suggest that every dollar invested in school food programs provides $2 to $6 in health, social and economic benefits.”
Universal school meals help close the gap in food access and reduce dietary disparities tied to income. For instance, research from Japan showed that universal lunch programs reduced socioeconomic differences in children’s diets. When children have access to healthy food in school, it reduces stigmas from both educators and fellow students, and it goes a long way to breaking down barriers between kids in the classroom.
According to the World Food Programme, “school meals programs can strengthen local economies” by sourcing food items from local producers. Furthermore, when healthy meals are free, families can redirect funds toward other essentials, improving overall household food security and spending power in the economy.
Setting the Table for Future Generations
The GVFB is proud to support the learning success and development of children in our catchment area by providing additional support to families with school age children through our specialized Nutritional Programs.
Our Preschooler Pack provides children transitioning from infancy to preschool with access to fresh fruit, eggs, and other staples. Our Grade School Pack is designed to ease the burden on parents to construct healthy meals for school lunch with the inclusion of bread, lunch meat, fresh fruit and veggies. All our Nutrition Programs were created with a registered dietician to ensure the highest standards of nutrition.
Healthy food is more than just fuel—it is the foundation of a child’s ability to learn, grow, and succeed. As we navigate economic uncertainty and rising inequality, we must ensure that no child goes to school hungry. The return on investment is undeniable, and the moral imperative is clear. Let’s act on it.
References
Anderson, Kelly K., et al. (2023, July), ‘Household Food Insecurity and Health Service Use for Mental and Substance Use Disorders among Children and Adolescents in Ontario, Canada’, Canadian Medical Association Journal, vol. 195, 24 July 2023, E948–955, doi: 10.1503/cmaj.230332.
Anderson, M. L., Gallagher, J., & Ritchie, E. R. (2017, May 3). How the quality of school lunch affects students’ academic performance. Brookings. Retrieved from: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-the-quality-of-school-lunch-affects-students-academic-performance/
Brockman, C. (2025, May 7). Vancouver city council passes motion to restore school meal funding. CityNews Vancouver. Retrieved from: https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/05/07/vancouver-city-council-motion-school-meal-funding/
Colorado Education Initiative. (2015). Making the case for healthy, fresh food in schools. Retrieved from: https://www.coloradoedinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/MakingtheCaseFF.pdf
Cohen, J. F. W., Hecht, A. A., McLoughlin, G. M., Turner, L., & Schwartz, M. B. (2021). Universal school meals and associations with student participation, attendance, academic performance, diet quality, food security, and body mass index: A systematic review. Nutrients, 13(3), 911. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030911
Deloitte & Share Our Strength. (2013). School breakfast: Fueling academic success. Retrieved from: https://nkh-development-s3-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/school-breakfast-brochure.pdf
Employment and Social Development Canada. (2023). Toward a national school food policy: What we heard. Government of Canada. Retrieved from: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/school-food/reports/national-policy.html
Food Research & Action Center. (2023). School meals are essential for student health and learning. Retrieved from: https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/School-Meals-are-Essential-Health-and-Learning_FNL.pdf
Greater Vancouver Food Bank. (2025, April 16). Greater Vancouver Food Bank and Nicola Wealth partner to provide Vancouver School Board with funding. Retrieved from: https://foodbank.bc.ca/whats-new/greater-vancouver-food-bank-and-nicola-wealth-partner-to-provide-vancouver-school-board-with-funding/
Katz, M. (2023, November). The energetic odyssey of the brain. Psychology Today. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-reboot/202311/the-energetic-odyssey-of-the-brain
McCarthy, C. (2018, January 23). The crucial brain foods all children need. Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/brain-food-children-nutrition-2018012313168
Nyaradi, A., Li, J., Hickling, S., Foster, J., & Oddy, W. H. (2013). The role of nutrition in children’s neurocognitive development, from pregnancy through childhood. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, Article 97. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00097
Pediatric Brain Foundation. (2025). Nutrition for children’s brain health: Essential foods and nutrients for cognitive development. Retrieved from: https://pediatricbrainfoundation.org/nutrition-for-childrens-brain-health/
School Nutrition Association. (2021, March 2). Dr. Robert Murray Recording [Video]. Vimeo. Retrieved from: https://vimeo.com/518765052eo
UNICEF Canada. (2025). UNICEF Report Card 19: Canadian Companion – Childhood Interrupted: How Canada’s child well-being compares to other wealthy countries. UNICEF Canada. Retrieved from: https://www.unicef.ca/sites/default/files/2025-06/UNICEF_RC19_Canadian_Companion_EN_Jun5.pdf
Vancouver Sun. (2025). Vancouver student meal program loses city funding; Nicola Wealth steps in with donation. Retrieved from: https://vancouversun.com/news/vancouver-student-meal-program-food4schools-funding-donation-nicola-wealth-school-board
World Food Program USA. (2023, September 21). The effects of child nutrition on academic performance: How school meals can break the cycle of poverty. Retrieved from: https://www.wfpusa.org/news/effects-child-nutrition-academic-performance-how-school-meals-can-break-cycle-poverty/
