School Food Delivery Program (SFD)
What is SFD?
The SFD Program is an opportunity for schools to pre-purchase produce for their Student Nutrition Program with their School Generated Funds, for delivery right to the doors of the school. SFD offers a cost-savings menu of primarily whole and unwashed produce and at times, other items.
Benefits of SFD
- Products meet Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services (MCCSS) nutrition guidelines.
- Mitigates risk by ensuring temperature-controlled delivery
- Reduces reliance on school staff and volunteers to shop for food
- Quality assurance and guaranteed replacement from the Distributor
- The absence of a delivery fee when purchasing supplementary items through the Distributor’s online website, acting as a “one stop shop”
- Reduced burden of reporting, budgeting, and menu planning at the school level.
History of SFD
In 2020/2021 the Ontario Student Nutrition Program (OSNP) – Southwest (SW) region rolled out the School Food Delivery (SFD) Program as part of a COVID-19 response. During this time, schools were encountering challenges when attempting to purchase safe and affordable food and produce items to operate their Student Nutrition Program (SNP). SFD offered a solution to shopping, food-preparation, and volunteer restrictions by safely delivering prepared and packaged food directly to the doors of the school.
Produce Express
Produce Express, located in Woodstock Ontario, services all SFD schools in the OSNP Southwest Region. Produce Express is dedicated to providing fresh, high quality, and local produce when possible to Student Nutrition Programs! Check out their school page here
Keep an eye out for the Produce Express truck coming your way!
SFD Schedule
October, November, December
- Deliveries begin the week of Sept 30!
January, February, March
- Deliveries will resume the week of Jan 13. Reminder: use your non-perishable items delivered the week of Dec 16 for the week of Jan 8
April, May, June
- The final week of deliveries is June 9
Please note: on holiday weeks and prior to extended breaks, SFD schools can expect to receive one produce and one non-perishable item
Participating in SFD
SNPs utilize two categories of funding, The OSNP Grant and School Generated Funds
- The OSNP Grant: SNPs in Ontario operate as a cost shared model. The OSNP Grant is seed funding for student nutrition programs.
- School Generated Funds: Schools are required to fundraise to ensure their program has the appropriate amount of funding, food, and resources.
By enrolling in the SFD Program, your school will receive an invoice for the school’s portion of SFD Program Costs to receive 2 fresh produce (or other) items weekly for that Phase. The OSNP Grant covers a portion of the SFD Program Cost and the remaining balance will be sent to the school for payment with School Generated Funds. Schools must pre-pay for each phase.
SFD Program Cost
Food items are procured at an average of $0.50 per unit (inclusive of delivery). Per unit costs change based on the season, variety of items offered, and, of course, inflation.
Direct Delivery Reach in the Southwest Region
These maps showcase the reach of both our School Food Delivery (SFD) and Enhancement programs. Our delivery partner, Produce Express, ensure deliveries are made to all of our supported sites on either Monday or Tuesday, efficiently through planning and routing software.
Learn More
Participating
in SFD
What to expect when participating in the SFD program. This 6 minute video explains the SFD menu, resources, and delivery details.
SFD Cost to Participate
What is the cost to participate in SFD? This 4 minute video provides a breakdown of how SFD program costs are calculated and why.
School Food Delivery Information Session 2023.24
Your frequently asked questions about SFD answered in this information session, including: the weekly menu, ordering through Produce Express, SFD costs and your school’s portion.