Advocating
Explore Our Work:
Next Steps for School Meals
Next Steps for School Meals is our province-wide consultation about school meal programming in Newfoundland and Labrador. We are using these consultations to develop recommendations for the program rollout and operations. We’ve heard from students, caregivers, teachers, school staff, lunch providers, government staff, and more. Our goal is to provide realistic recommendations based on equity, lived experience, and expertise.
2025 Highlights
Concluding our multi-year consultation phase. In 2025 alone, we
Mailed surveys to 24 schools in Labrador
Surveyed students, caregivers, teachers, and school staff through Thought Exchange
Hosted focus groups
And more!
Co-hosting the Steps for School Food Run/Walk with Brent Mansfield, School Lunch Association, and the Coalition for Healthy School Food to celebrate provincial and federal school food investment in N.L.
Creating the Indigenous School Food Subcommittee, which allowed us to focus on the unique approaches and challenges to school food in Indigenous communities and cultures.
Co-hosting a webinar series with the Community Sector Council NL about becoming a nonprofit school food provider
We worked with the Nunatsiavut Government, Nunatukavut Community Council, Innus schools, and the Conseil scolaire francophone provincial to customize our surveys for their schools.
By the Numbers
3
separate surveys
8,557
survey responses
250+
students and teachers running and walking for school food
“Thank you for asking our opinion on this topic. It feels like I am contributing to the school!”
Sharing Our Gratitude
The many survey and focus group participants — including teachers, staff, caregivers, and students — for taking the time to share their experiences and ideas.
Our collaborating school and school board partners, for helping to shape, prepare, and share the surveys. With special thanks to Lynn (Nunatsiavut Government), Roxanne (Nunatukavut Community Council), Ysabelle (Conseil scolaire francophone provincial, and Andrew (Innu schools), for individualizing surveys for their schools.
Our Advisory Committee Members for their guidance and expertise.
The Department of Education for partnering with us to distribute surveys through the Thought Exchange Platform.
The Community Sector Council, especially Bettina, for co-presenting our webinar series for school food services and sharing their expertise.
Students from Bishop Feild School joined us at Bannerman Park to celebrate provincial and federal school food investments!
Learn More
CBC: Food First NL’s school food program consultations (June 16, 2025)
Video: Steps For School Meals Fun Run Highlight Reel
From Land to Care Collaborative
The From Land to Care Collaborative is a group of representatives from Labrador's Indigenous groups, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, the provincial government, and Food First NL. The Collaborative's goal is to get country foods on healthcare menus. We explore ways to make it easier to serve wild foods — like moose and berries — in healthcare settings. Our approach centres on patients' dignity, safety, and well-being. We work closely with healthcare and food service providers to create and trial practical solutions.
2025 Highlights
Launching the Country Food Preference Survey in the Labrador Grenfell Health Region. The responses reminded us why this work is so important to our communities and confirmed our direction.
Writing a comprehensive discussion paper on our pilot project and presenting it to NL Health Services. We shared key successes, challenges, and impacts from the work and offered recommendations to decision makers.
Celebrating our work with the Nourish Leadership’s National Cohorts, as we concluded that stage of our work.
Choosing our new name, From Land to Care Collaborative. Our team took the time and care needed to create a meaningful name that captures the scope of the work moving forward.
Beginning our Ajuinata Podcast, and sharing stories about food, place, health, and the lived Indigenous experience
Dana and her group are preparing their “Heartbeat Homestead” menu, featuring local berries, cod, and moose.
By the Numbers
20
Core Collaborative Meetings
4
Advisory Group Meetings
207
Country Food Preference Survey Responses
“This is more than a project; it’s a movement rooted in the belief that country food is essential to health and healing”
Sharing Our Gratitude
Our core collaborative and advisory group members for making time in their busy schedules to attend meetings and contribute to the work. A special thanks to former member, Aditiya Danturthi, for piecing together the survey, analyzing the data, and everything else he brought to the table.
The Indigenous Governments and organizations, food service staff, and healthcare professionals for working with us and providing guidance and support.
All of the Indigenous hunters, harvesters, and gathers for their traditional knowledge/practices and ensuring access to culturally appropriate country food.
Learn More
Ajuinata Podcast, Episode 1: Learnings and New Beginnings
Ajuinata Podcast, Episode 2: Denley Jacque
Policy and Advocacy Team
We grew our capacity in 2025 by adding a policy coordinator (Samantha) and building our small but mighty Policy and Advocacy Team. The added support came at the perfect time.
Our Team led advocacy efforts for the Federal, Provincial, and Municipal elections. We recommended policies to advance the right to food, surveyed candidates, and created fact sheets.
Between election cycles, we continued with formal and informal policy engagements. We submitted a Federal Pre-Budget Submission in August. We also regularly met and joined consultations with officials and community sector partners.
At the national level, we collaborated on emergent and ongoing advocacy movements. In September, we helped Food Secure Canada create a statement on the use of food as a weapon in Gaza. We also guided and informed advocacy efforts by the Coalition for Healthy School Food and Right to Food.
Our Advocacy in the Media
Food First NL continued as a trusted voice about the right to food throughout 2026. Our staff spoke about rising food prices, climate change impacts on food systems, budget reactions, and more.
In 2025, we responded to 42 advocacy-related interview requests, from the national to the provincial, on radio, television, and print.
Until we have a province where everyone can eat with joy and dignity, using every opportunity to advocate and amplify community voices will remain a top priority.
2025 Advocacy Interview Highlights
CBC: Food First NL hopes provincial budget can improve effort to combat food insecurity (April 8, 2025)
NTV: New report predicts food prices will increase by 5 percent in 2026 (December 4, 2025)
The Telegram: NL wants to increase its food autonomy. Here’s what it would take (June 2, 2025)
Le Gaboteur: Les résidents de TNL goûtent les prix montants (January 27, 2025)