Nutrition programs - 2023-24

Ninety per cent of the food, which is made from scratch, is cooked in the Duke’s kitchen from ingredients sourced through board-approved suppliers and in-kind contributions. Duke’s edible garden, a parent and student initiative, also provides the program with fresh produce, including tomatoes, chard, lettuces and herbs, although the menu occasionally includes canned and prepared goods (such as samosas or Jamaican patties on special but rare days).  The bakery company we currently use is Sweet from the Earth.

​Every effort is taken to use ingredients that are local, seasonally appropriate and wholesome, although cost constraints prohibit all ingredients from being organic, for instance. Donations of local fresh foods are welcome, as are canned goods though items approaching their expiry date must be turned away.

The bakery company Sweet from the Earth uses the following ingredients:

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Whole wheat flour, whole grain rolled oats, evaporated cane juice, canola oil, dried cranberries, inulin, banana, organic coconut oil, baking soda, blackstrap molasses, cinnamon, flax seed, sea salt.

Carrot Muffin
Whole wheat flour, carrots, evaporated cane juice, unbleached wheat our, canola oil, applesauce, organic flax seeds, baking powder, cinnamon, inulin, baking soda, sea salt.

Whole Grain Blueberry Scones
Whole wheat flour, organic soymilk, unbleached wheat flour, organic palm fruit oil, evaporated cane juice, blueberries, rice our, vinegar, inulin, baking soda, non-alum baking powder, sea salt.

The nutrition program and all of its components are run by a coordinator, who reports to the principal, and two assistants, who are the only paid staff. The remainder are volunteers who serve the food, wash dishes, and help where needed (sopping up spills!)  Staff receive training in food-safety and food-handling. The facilities, menu and procedures are approved by Toronto Public Health (TPH) for cleanliness and dietary standards.

School nutrition programs are subsidized by grants from the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, the charitable arm of the TDSB. This helps keep costs low, however, donations are welcome, which helps ensure no children are turned away. The remittance of monthly usage reports through the school office helps maintain the level of the grant.

The lunch menu is published monthly and the forms are available in the office, the lunch room and on-line. Staff make every effort to make the form available 3-5 days before the beginning of each month.