Food and Health Dialogue Communique
The Australian Government’s Food and Health Dialogue has continued to make substantial advances as it works with food industry to make healthier food choices easier and more accessible for all Australians.
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25 November 2011
The Australian Government’s Food and Health Dialogue has continued to make substantial advances as it works with food industry to make healthier food choices easier and more accessible for all Australians, the Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King, said today.
“The Dialogue continues to achieve significant outcomes and the progress industry has shown in reformulating its products since 2009 is very promising.”
The work of the Food and Health Dialogue was showcased at the recent Food Innovation workshops organised by CSIRO on behalf of the Department of Health and Ageing. The workshops shared national and international information and experience in reformulation, including approaches to improving the nutritional profile of products, technical challenges and product case studies.
The workshops were held in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane on 24, 25 and 27 October 2011 respectively.
“Communication activities around the Dialogue are also continuing and the Dialogue’s first e-newsletter was launched in October 2011. A new e-newsletter will be distributed three times a year.”
Members of the Dialogue met in Canberra today and discussed progress against key milestones and priorities. Items included:
An update on the review of the Australian Dietary Guidelines project
Dr Amanda Lee, the Chair of the Dietary Guidelines Working Committee, provided members with an update on the Australian Dietary Guidelines review project which is being undertaken by the National Health and Medical Research Council in partnership with the Department. The review is being conducted to ensure the currency of the scientific evidence and continued applicability to the Australian population. The revised Dietary Guidelines documents will be a key tool to support and guide future activities of the Food and Health Dialogue including reformulation, portion sizing and consumer messaging. It is anticipated the revised Dietary Guidelines will be publicly available by mid 2012.Progress reports – Industry Roundtables
Progress report – Bread and Breakfast Cereal Roundtables
A summary of the bread and breakfast cereal progress reports was provided at the last Dialogue meeting. Participants are due to report back to the Dialogue again in May 2012.Simmer Sauce and Processed Meat roundtables
Simmer Sauce Roundtable participants will report back to the Dialogue on progress against their commitments in December 2012. This extended timeframe takes into consideration the long shelf-life of the products.The processed meat sector is continuing to reduce the sodium and saturated fat content in their products. Most companies are working on the technological aspects of reformulating this category and remain committed to the reformulation targets.
Soup Roundtable
Participants on the Soup Roundtable agreed to proposed reformulation targets in October 2011.Leading manufacturers Unilever, Heinz, Campbell Arnotts and Nestle along with major retailers Woolworths, Coles and ALDI have agreed to:
- a reformulation target of 290mg of sodium per 100g of product in the dry soup sub-category; and
- an average reformulation target of 290mg of sodium per 100g of product across the wet and condensed soup sub-categories, with a maximum target of 300mg per 100g of product.
Savoury Pies, Processed Poultry, and Cheese Roundtables
A Savoury Pie Roundtable is scheduled for early December 2011. Proposed reformulation targets for this sector were discussed by members.Members noted the importance of engagement by the Quick Service Sector in the Processed Poultry and Cheese Roundtables which are expected to be held in early 2012.
Review of National and International Programs
At the last Dialogue meeting, CSIRO presented the key findings from its review of programs investigating national and international initiatives that are similar in scope to the Dialogue. The final report has been finalised and a summary of the report will soon feature on the Dialogue’s website.Food Composition Database
The Food Composition Database Pilot project has progressed with the data being provided to GS1 by the majority of industry participants. The Department is currently exploring options with RMIT and FSANZ for transferring the data to the HARVEST platform.Dietary Intake Modelling
FSANZ has provided its final reports for bread and breakfast cereals from the dietary intake modelling project and presented on the findings at the meeting. It was found that bread reformulation activities will result in reductions of sodium across all population groups with the potential for up to 20% reductions in sodium for brand loyal customers. Ready to Eat breakfast cereals reformulation efforts may also lead to over 5% reduction in sodium for brand loyal customers. Continued reformulation activities across other food sectors will have a cumulative effect in reducing population sodium intake.Engagement with the Quick Service Restaurant sector (QSR)
A strategy for engaging the QSR sector in Dialogue activities is being developed in consultation with the QSR Forum under the Australian Food and Grocery Council.Members agreed to an outline of the strategy and will review a more detailed strategy at its March 2012 meeting. Through the QSR Forum companies agreed to provide the Department with a summary of the work they have been undertaking to address reformulation, portion sizing and consumer messaging activities. QSR members were also invited to meet with the Department to discuss summaries. The Department will continue to progress work in this sector in collaboration with the QSR Forum during 2012.
Food and Health Dialogue webpage
Communication
The e-newsletter was launched in October 2011. The e-newsletter provided an overview Dialogue progress including reformulation targets achieved, the food innovation workshops and upcoming activities, including planned engagement with the QSR sector.Members have been encouraged to distribute the e-newsletter through their networks.
Members noted that since the revamped website, the Dialogue website’s exposure has increased significantly with a tripling of visits per month.
Members of the Food and Health Dialogue are:
- The Hon Catherine King, Parliamentary Secretary for Health (Chair)
Mr Steve McCutcheon, Chief Executive Officer, Food Standards Australia New Zealand
Dr Lyn Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, National Heart Foundation of Australia
Mr Andrew Hall, Director Corporate and Public Affairs, Woolworths
Dr Manny Noakes, Senior Dietitian and Research Scientist, CSIRO
Mr Michael Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Public Health Association of Australia
Ms Kate Carnell, Chief Executive Officer Australian Food and Grocery Council
Dr Amanda Lee, Director, Nutrition and Physical Activity Unit, Preventative Health Directorate, Queensland Health (state-territory representative)
Ms Tracey Monaghan, Director of Quality Assurance ANZ, McDonald’s Australia (Quick Service Restaurant Forum representative)
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