New national food policy requested to tackle health and environmental issues
A new report released today by a national health association – ‘A Future for Food’ – calls for a complete overhaul of food policy in Australia in order to more effectively address the priorities of chronic disease prevention, climate change and social inequality.
The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) report claims that consumer demand for processed foods high in salt, sugar and fat is not only harming health, but also impacting on the environment.
“Food is a critical issue across public health, the environment, social policy and the economy – and yet we have a fragmented approach. It is imperative we act now to establish a national, integrated whole-of-government food policy,” Michael Moore, CEO of the PHAA, suggested. “We have a food supply skewed to inappropriate and overly processed foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt; there is inadequate understanding of the environmental impacts of food choices; and we have people struggling to afford healthy food to feed their families.”
‘A Future for Food: Addressing public health, sustainability and equity from paddock to plate’, states 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.
“In reviewing the research on chronic disease, environmental sustainability and social equity, we believe it is imperative that food recommendations have a stronger emphasis on whole, or minimally processed, and plant-based foods,” Mr Moore reported. “We want public health and food professionals, food industry and consumers to join our call for action. We must work together and act now.”
The Federal Government’s Preventative Health Taskforce is currently working toward providing recommendations to guide the National Preventative Health Strategy, expected to be announced in June.
I read the report mentioned in the article. Although I agree with some points made by PHAA (e.g. developing a single national food industry strategy), there are some comments that I disagree with. For example, the reduction of refrigeration by emphasizing local food production is not desirable. Climate change is likely to lead to higher ambient temperatures and refrigeration will be a much needed technology to ensure food safety. Food safety in itself is an angle that “A future for food” did not take into account. However, the impact of climate change is under review by FAO and other global organisations. The Federal government itself is recognising that the risks of food-related outbreaks need to be investigated.
There are also some inaccuracies in the report namely:
-Tropical food is not ALWAYS transported by plane. At least, not in Australia.
-The impact of horticulture (i.e. fruit and vegetables) has not been fully assessed in Australia and until these aspects are not explored, recommendations to switch to more plant products are not made in a solid scientific basis.
– The report states that “organic produce that is locally grown is generally better than non-organic”. I would like to know the source of information PHAA used to back this statement. Discussions are ongoing in this particular issue.
Overall, PHAA may have good intentions but it needs to refine its message and add more sound science to back their statements. Additionally, a whole-of-the-chain approach (which I thoroughly support) should be exactly that: involving representatives from the whole industry (including meat, dairy and horticulture). The goals are ensuring that our food chains are: secure (i.e. food supply, food safety, bioterrorism, resilient food chains) and sustainable (i.e. competitive food chains, environmentally oriented design).