Australia in need of a complete food-policy overhaul

According to a new report Australia is in need of a complete overhaul of its food policies.

The report by the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) says that the only way to effectively address the priorities of chronic disease prevention, climate change and social inequality is by a complete overhaul of food policy in Australia.

The report, 'A Future for Food', claims that consumer demand for processed foods high in salt, sugar and fat is not only harming health, but also impacting on the environment and food is a critical issue across public health, the environment, social policy and the economy but our approach to it is fragmented.

Michael Moore, CEO of the PHAA says action is needed now to establish a national, integrated complete government food policy as there is an inadequate understanding of the environmental impacts of food choices and people are struggling to afford healthy food to feed their families.

The PHAA is concerned that current guidelines offer inadequate consideration of the chronic disease risk of certain foods despite their capacity to provide adequate nutrients; the environmental impact of those food choices and cultural and equity issues and their affordability for all Australians.

Michael Moore suggests that our food supply is skewed to inappropriate and overly processed foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt and he has called for public health and food professionals, the food industry and consumers to join together and demand action.

The report examines public health, sustainability and equity from 'paddock to plate', and says that the selection of foods for Australian guidelines has been largely based on nutrition science, which emphasises the adequacy of specific nutrients rather than whole foods.

Mr Moore says a review of the research into chronic disease, environmental sustainability and social equity, shows it is imperative that food recommendations have a stronger emphasis on whole, or minimally processed, and plant-based foods and he says as a nation we 'cannot afford to continue to do business as usual'.

At present the Federal Government's Preventative Health Taskforce is working toward providing recommendations to guide the National Preventative Health Strategy, expected to be announced in June.

In addition to calling on the government to establish a national integrated food policy, the PHAA is calling on the NHMRC to address these issues in its current review.

The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) is a non-party-political organisation with a membership drawn from more than 40 health-related professions, with branches in every State and Territory and makes a major contribution to health policy in Australia.

For more information and a .pdf copy of A Future for Food visit www.phaa.net.au.