Australia is falling behind other countries in addressing the unhealthy state of our diets.
Several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico, have recently taken important steps to help improve population nutrition and prevent obesity.
But our last evaluationpublished as part of International Congress on Obesityhas found significant gaps in Australian government policy relative to international best practice, with limited policy progress over the last five years.
What do we evaluate?
Our assessment of the federal government included a scorecard of how Australia fares in 50 policy areas to tackle unhealthy diets. These policy areas include key influences on what we buy and eat, including policies that affect the price and affordability of different foods, the types of food available, how food is labeled, and how it is promoted.
We work closely with government officials to document current actions in each policy area. We then assess how existing policies compare to international benchmarks.
Finally, we made recommendations to address the gaps, prioritizing them based on their relative importance and feasibility. Eighty-four experts from 37 organizations participated in the evaluation and prioritization process.
How does Australia compare to other countries?
We found that implementation of globally recommended policies to improve population diets and tackle obesity in Australia falls far short of international best practice.
There has been only limited political progress in Australia in the last five years.
Areas where Australia is doing well
One of the only areas where Australia did well was in the area of food labelling, where some of the regulations related to ingredient lists, nutrition information panels and health claims were rated among the best in the world.
The other area that got top marks from Australia is that GST is waived on fresh fruit and vegetables, helping to lower their prices relative to other, less healthy produce.
What are other countries doing better?
Several other countries have implemented policies to limit the marketing of unhealthy foods and make it easier for people to make healthier choices.
Latin American countries are leading the way globally. chili has put in place comprehensive restrictions on TV advertising for unhealthy foods, conspicuous warning labels on packaging of unhealthy products, as well as taxes on sugary drinks. Mexico has similar policies.
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In other parts of the world, more than 50 countries they now have taxes on sugary drinks. There are clear evidence These taxes have decreased consumption of the taxed products, while at the same time encouraging soft drink manufacturers to reduce the sugar content of their drinks.
Several other governments are taking strong action to protect children from exposure to unhealthy food marketing. As an example, the United Kingdom is established in ban ads for unhealthy foods online and on TV before 9 p.m. starting in 2024. Canada has similar laws before his parliament.
The United Kingdom has also just introduced main changes How do supermarkets operate? The laws that took effect this month mean that unhealthy products can no longer be displayed in prominent places in stores, such as store entrances and checkout areas.
In addition, the UK has proposed a prohibition on price discounts for unhealthy foods, although implementation remains uncertain with the recent change in government leadership.
Several other innovative policies are in place internationally. For example, in some parts of Mexico, retailers I can’t sell unhealthy food for children. And in Argentina there is laws dictating the maximum sodium (salt) content in a range of products.
Read more:
The tax on sugary drinks is working: now is the time to focus on cakes, cookies and snacks
How bad are Australian diets?
Unhealthy diets and obesity are the major contributors to poor health in Australia.
Less than 7% of people in Australia consume a healthy diet consistent with Australian Dietary Guidelines.
Narrowly 65% of Australian adultsand 25% of Australian children are overweight or obese.
While there is no good data on how these statistics have changed in recent years, it is likely that things have gotten worse. worse since the beginning of the COVID pandemic.
Unless see comprehensive government action to improve the diets of the population, there will be huge health and financial costs individuals, communities and the economy in general.
Read more:
BMI is underestimating obesity in Australia, waist circumference should also be measured
What actions should Australia take?
The political action of the federal government is necessary to improve population diets and tackle obesity. This includes:
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protect children from exposure to unhealthy food and drink marketing through comprehensive and consistent national legislation
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implement a health tax on sugary drinks (a sugar tax) and other unhealthy foods, while also addressing the affordability of healthy foods
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improve food labeling by requiring Health Star Rating Scheme and requiring warning labels on products high in added sugar, sodium (salt), and/or saturated fat.
What stops us?
In the last 12 months, the previous federal government launched key strategies in this area, including National Preventive Health Strategy (2021-2030) and the National Obesity Strategy (2022-2032). But this has not yet led to any change on the ground.
Critically, there is a strong support for of the Australian community for governments to impose higher standards in marketing to support the health and well-being of children. More than 75% of Australians also warning labels on unhealthy foods.
It is promising to see momentum building around a legislative ban on the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children.
But now is the time for the federal government to catch up with the rest of the world and implement a significant policy change to help Australians improve their diets.
