Primary industry and public health professionals have joined forces to explore an integrated approach to food policy for Australia.  Rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) the Australian Egg Corporation Limited, Dairy Australia, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) are supporting the Public Health Association of Australia's (PHAA) conference, Food Futures: An Australian Approach.

Michael Moore, Chief Executive Officer of PHAA said: "We welcome the support of the primary food industry for this conference. Not only do primary producers provide the whole foods which form the core of the dietary guidelines but they play a vital role in ensuring the environmental, social and economic sustainability of Australia's food supply.

"The conference sponsorship follows on from a series of workshops, entitled Bridging the Gap - Food Policy and the Environment, held to enable health representatives to engage directly with the farming sector and explore nutrition and sustainability issues of relevance to public health.

The workshops highlighted the different focus between the two sectors. For public health the key issues were the availability, affordability and acceptability of sustainably-produced foods which are high in nutrients but low in energy density.
For primary production the focus was on increasing productivity and sustainability while meeting market demands in order to maintain economic viability, hence ensuring an Australian-produced primary food supply.
 
A shared belief was that no single aspect "be it health and nutrition, environmental sustainability or social equity" can be considered in isolation but is best addressed as part of an integrated approach. It was agreed that the provision of sustainable healthy food to Australians is a complex exercise which can only be achieved by way of an overarching national food policy developed with the participation of all stakeholders.

The conference program includes a session entitled 'Primary food - what role in food policy?' during which there will be presentations on the complexity of the Australian primary food industry and the outcomes of the workshops along with other whole-food-related topics.

Key insights from the Bridging the Gap - Food Policy and the Environment workshops can be viewed here.