A new school lunch program is taking shape for Nova Scotia.

The province put out a request for proposals for companies to prepare and serve lunches.

Local suppliers and ingredients will be prioritized.

Program lead Jennifer Heatley says the RFP is only for schools that don’t have their own cafeteria and staff.

“Vendors do have an option of bidding on a bundle of schools. We want to make sure there’s opportunities if there’s a bid on one school in particular, that that opportunity is there as well,” said Heatley.

Over 250 schools and 75,000 students will have access to lunch this fall.

About 100 schools will need the vendors, mostly in the Halifax Regional Centre for Education.

The province says it’s going to be a ‘pay what you can’ model using payment technology that is confidential and stigma-free.

“Parents who are able can make a contribution, but those who are unable could pay a range of full-meal cost to zero,” added Heatley.

The province is spending over $18 million in the first year.