Latest news with #LarelleMcMillan
Perth Now
02-06-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Big flaw with Australia's $800bn food system
A shock new report says Australia's $800bn food system is 'falling short', despite producing enough food to feed nearly 100 million people. The CSIRO has completed the first national stocktake of the nation's food system, which identified 100,000 Australian farmers produced enough food to feed 27 million Australians and another 73 million people globally. While Australia claimed it was a food secure nation, the CSIRO said it was based on the bulk amount of agricultural commodities it exported such as wheat and beef. But it did not account for food affordability issues or a diversity of food that met nutritional requirements. The report, titled Food System Horizons, estimated lifestyle diseases caused by unhealthy eating such as diabetes and cardiovascular cost the economy about $49bn through hospitalisation, healthcare and lost wages. It says those hidden costs are the highest in the world per capita and costs the economy hundreds of billions of dollars. A CSIRO report Food System Horizons found the hidden costs of Australia's food system could be as high as $274bn. NewsWire / David Mariuz Credit: News Corp Australia 'Currently, millions of Australians routinely rely on food charity,' the report said. 'Australia's food system does not produce enough vegetables to meet recommended daily intakes. 'Production-based analysis of food security also overlooks the critical role that food environments play in shaping dietary choices and health outcomes. 'The promotion of convenient, highly processed foods is costing the Australian economy billions in lost productivity from the impact of preventable, diet-related diseases. 'These challenges suggest a significant opportunity for communities, governments and businesses to work together to create future food environments that are healthier, more sustainable and more equitable.' A new report has found Australia's food system does not produce enough vegetables to meet recommended daily intakes. NewsWire / David Mariuz Credit: News Corp Australia CSIRO Sustainability Research Director Larelle McMillan said food policy in Australia was currently fragmented across portfolios as diverse as agriculture, environment, industry, social services, health, transport and urban planning. 'We need to move from analysing specific parts of the food system to establishing coordinated reporting for important food system attributes and interactions, thus enabling connected up action for a national food system that serves all,' Ms McMillan said. She said a reporting system would offer valuable insights into where the food system was falling short – for example, almost a third of Australian households experience moderate or severe food insecurity each year – and where it's failing to meet the needs of all Australians. 'This can be used as a focal point to bring together a greater diversity of voice and vision to identify pathways to sustainable, healthy and affordable food for all Australians,' she said. The report found the hidden costs of Australia's food system were as high as $274bn, with the biggest burden on the economy coming from negative health and environmental impacts. Negative environmental factors from farming such as soil, air and water degradation, loss of biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions and pollution cost the economy about $225bn. The report stated commercial activity across Australia's food system, particularly in the agricultural sector, generated unintended but significant environmental impacts. 'Together, the net present value of the overall negative health and environmental impacts of Australia's food system is around 13 per cent of Australia's gross domestic product,' the report stated. 'These environmental impacts, including climate change and damage to fragile soils, have contributed to a plateauing of agricultural productivity.' CSIRO's Agriculture and Food director Michael Robertson said lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease were caused by unhealthy eating. Photo: Supplied. Credit: Supplied CSIRO agriculture and food director Michael Robertson told NewsWire the food system encompassed everything from farming, retail, consumption, logistics, food handling, waste and so on. Dr Robertson said we celebrate the massive performance the farming sector delivered every year in Australia in terms of the amount of food it produces, 'not only for us, but also for export,' he said. 'But we don't connect all that up to other parts of the system that are associated with food consumption within Australia, this is where the hidden cost issue comes in. CSIRO's Agriculture and Food director Michael Robertson said it was important to know and understand the state of our food system through regular reporting. NewsWire / David Mariuz Credit: News Corp Australia 'We don't quantify that and add that into the price of food that we pay for, pointing those out shows what areas need attention,' he said. 'By owning it we can start having a conversation nationally about what we might do to reduce those hidden costs,' he said. Dr Robertson said knowing and understanding the state of our food system through regular reporting was the first step in dealing with the complex challenges and opportunities facing Australia's food system. 'Our food system is more than just producing and exporting commodities – it's also about providing equitable access to safe, nutritious and healthy food, produced sustainably for all Australians,' he said. 'We have an intergenerational responsibility to pursue these goals vigorously. 'This national stocktake provides an evidence base to guide our actions as social, cultural, environmental, and economic priorities shift. 'While Australia's wider food system is an economic and production success, generating more than $800bn annually and providing significant employment particularly in regional areas, the intersection of our food system with other critical goals calls for a more comprehensive way to evaluate its performance.'
West Australian
02-06-2025
- Health
- West Australian
New report reveals how country's food systems letting Aussies down
A shock new report says Australia's $800bn food system is 'falling short', despite producing enough food to feed nearly 100 million people. The CSIRO has completed the first national stocktake of the nation's food system, which identified 100,000 Australian farmers produced enough food to feed 27 million Australians and another 73 million people globally. While Australia claimed it was a food secure nation, the CSIRO said it was based on the bulk amount of agricultural commodities it exported such as wheat and beef. But it did not account for food affordability issues or a diversity of food that met nutritional requirements. The report, titled Food System Horizons, estimated lifestyle diseases caused by unhealthy eating such as diabetes and cardiovascular cost the economy about $49bn through hospitalisation, healthcare and lost wages. It says those hidden costs are the highest in the world per capita and costs the economy hundreds of billions of dollars. 'Currently, millions of Australians routinely rely on food charity,' the report said. 'Australia's food system does not produce enough vegetables to meet recommended daily intakes. 'Production-based analysis of food security also overlooks the critical role that food environments play in shaping dietary choices and health outcomes. 'The promotion of convenient, highly processed foods is costing the Australian economy billions in lost productivity from the impact of preventable, diet-related diseases. 'These challenges suggest a significant opportunity for communities, governments and businesses to work together to create future food environments that are healthier, more sustainable and more equitable.' CSIRO Sustainability Research Director Larelle McMillan said food policy in Australia was currently fragmented across portfolios as diverse as agriculture, environment, industry, social services, health, transport and urban planning. 'We need to move from analysing specific parts of the food system to establishing coordinated reporting for important food system attributes and interactions, thus enabling connected up action for a national food system that serves all,' Ms McMillan said. She said a reporting system would offer valuable insights into where the food system was falling short – for example, almost a third of Australian households experience moderate or severe food insecurity each year – and where it's failing to meet the needs of all Australians. 'This can be used as a focal point to bring together a greater diversity of voice and vision to identify pathways to sustainable, healthy and affordable food for all Australians,' she said. The report found the hidden costs of Australia's food system were as high as $274bn, with the biggest burden on the economy coming from negative health and environmental impacts. Negative environmental factors from farming such as soil, air and water degradation, loss of biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions and pollution cost the economy about $225bn. The report stated commercial activity across Australia's food system, particularly in the agricultural sector, generated unintended but significant environmental impacts. 'Together, the net present value of the overall negative health and environmental impacts of Australia's food system is around 13 per cent of Australia's gross domestic product,' the report stated. 'These environmental impacts, including climate change and damage to fragile soils, have contributed to a plateauing of agricultural productivity.' CSIRO agriculture and food director Michael Robertson told NewsWire the food system encompassed everything from farming, retail, consumption, logistics, food handling, waste and so on. Dr Robertson said we celebrate the massive performance the farming sector delivered every year in Australia in terms of the amount of food it produces, 'not only for us, but also for export,' he said. 'But we don't connect all that up to other parts of the system that are associated with food consumption within Australia, this is where the hidden cost issue comes in. 'We don't quantify that and add that into the price of food that we pay for, pointing those out shows what areas need attention,' he said. 'By owning it we can start having a conversation nationally about what we might do to reduce those hidden costs,' he said. Dr Robertson said knowing and understanding the state of our food system through regular reporting was the first step in dealing with the complex challenges and opportunities facing Australia's food system. 'Our food system is more than just producing and exporting commodities – it's also about providing equitable access to safe, nutritious and healthy food, produced sustainably for all Australians,' he said. 'We have an intergenerational responsibility to pursue these goals vigorously. 'This national stocktake provides an evidence base to guide our actions as social, cultural, environmental, and economic priorities shift. 'While Australia's wider food system is an economic and production success, generating more than $800bn annually and providing significant employment particularly in regional areas, the intersection of our food system with other critical goals calls for a more comprehensive way to evaluate its performance.'
ABC News
02-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
CSIRO takes stock of food system.
Samantha Donovan: Australia's National Science Agency, the CSIRO, has completed the first ever national stocktake of our $800 billion food system. The researchers say while our farming sector is among the best in the world, there are big gaps, like the fact not all Australians can actually afford fresh food. And that view is backed by academics and even farmers groups, who say that for far too long, so-called food policy has focused on farming rather than the bigger picture. Luke Radford prepared this report. Luke Radford: Chances are, when you think about where your food comes from, this is what comes to mind. A farm, where hard-working farmers are toiling away so you can enjoy a parmigiana or a salad or a bit of toast in the morning. But Sustainability Research Director at the CSIRO, Larelle McMillan, says that's just scratching the surface. Larelle McMillan: What we've kind of looked at in this report is everything from nutrition, retail environment, food safety, Indigenous food systems, policy coherence, sustainability aspects, circular economy, hidden costs, as you mentioned, manufacturing and economics. Luke Radford: That report is an all-encompassing look by the CSIRO at the food industry, from the paddock to the plate. The researchers argue that food as an industry is split up into at least 11 different silos, which are essentially separate industries that don't really talk to each other. Larelle McMillan says because it's been that way for so long, we struggle to come up with long-term plans. Larelle McMillan: The food system works for most Australians. We're a food-producing nation. Our farmers do an incredible job of producing food, not just for our national consumption, but for our export markets. But we balance this by noting that it doesn't work for all Australians. Luke Radford: Australian farming is incredibly productive. Just 100,000 farmers feed nearly 100 million people, including 27 million Australians. But the researchers argue that those raw statistics are part of a stark contradiction, because up to 3.5 million Australian households ran out of food at some point last year. Associate Professor Liesel Spencer specialises in food security at the School of Law at the University of Western Sydney. Liesel Spencer: What that really looks like is they run out of food. They go a day or more without eating. The food in the house runs out and there's no more money to buy anymore. So if we're thinking about regulating the whole food system holistically, we have to go beyond just we're doing an amazing job of producing enough food and think about how we're distributing that and how that's available for everybody so everybody gets a fair chance at a healthy diet. Luke Radford: What Associate Professor Spencer and the CSIRO are arguing is that we need to change how we actually think about food. The CSIRO report also calls for a national food plan, something the National Farmers Federation has also campaigned for. Jolyon Burnett is the chair of the National Farmers Federation Horticulture Council. Jolyon Burnett: The compliance burden that producers have to face can make up as much as a third of the cost of doing business for these people. And when margins are shown to absolutely razor thin levels, then you begin to see that price is just one part in a very complex jigsaw puzzle. Luke Radford: Mr Burnett also says even things like nutritional value and how best to provide it need to be re-examined. Jolyon Burnett: We already know that the consumption of fresh produce, fresh fruit and vegetables across Australia is declining. These things are all linked and until we begin to sit down and try and map this out, rather than just whacking band-aids on particular parts of it, we'll continue to see the number of farmers declining. Luke Radford: The Albanese government has committed to a new national food security strategy that it calls Feeding Australia, with more details set to come later this year. Samantha Donovan: Luke Radford reporting.
SBS Australia
02-06-2025
- Business
- SBS Australia
Australians are choosing foods that contribute to leading causes of disease. Why?
Processed food is being consumed at higher rates than health guidelines recommend. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas New research suggests the cost of living is driving up poor diets in Australia. Poor diet is among the top causes of disease in Australia. Meanwhile, millions of tonnes of edible food are thrown away each year. Just under one in 20 Australians are making dietary choices that are consistent with Australian dietary guidelines. According to CSIRO's latest Food System Horizons report, Australians are experiencing diseases due to unhealthy diets despite a relative abundance of safe, high-quality food. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the local value of Australian fruit production (excluding wine grapes) was $6.3 billion in 2022-23, with 2.7 million tonnes sold the same year. Similarly, the local value of vegetable production was $5.8 billion, with 3.6 million tonnes sold. As a result of large quantities of fresh food remaining unused, 33 million tonnes of organic waste are generated each year. The CSIRO's report estimates that Australia's production, distribution and consumption of food is worth $800 billion and employs around 3.5 million people. But researchers say it's not delivering for everyone, and that lack of affordable and nutritious food is a leading cause of disease in the nation. Larelle McMillan, research director of CSIRO's agriculture and food sustainability program, said the cost of food and health issues is "hitting Australians hard". She said a lack of choice is partially responsible for this situation. "Health-related epidemics and issues are often interpreted as an acceptable consequence of personal choice," she told SBS News. "However, there are elements to that personal choice that can lead us away from healthy food." In particular, the cost of healthy food (like fruit and vegetables) compared to processed ones can make a nutritious diet out of reach for Australians on a smaller budget. People living in regional and remote areas are more likely to see higher prices at the checkout and have fewer options available, which could influence their food choices. According to the report, 6 per cent of those in regional areas only have access to a single food retailer, and that figure rises over five times to 34 per cent for residents in remote areas. These factors are contributing to a vast number of Australians not getting enough nutrition in their diet, which is leading to health consequences, the report says. Less than 5 per cent of Australians are eating enough fruits and vegetables as recommended in the federal government's Australian dietary guidelines. In comparison, twice as much non-essential or "discretionary food" like biscuits and processed meat is being consumed. A lack of nutrition in one's diet can contribute to risks such as obesity, among other health issues. Dietary risk is one of the leading factors contributing to disease burden in the country, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. While cost is a driving factor in food insecurity, convenience also plays a role in how consumers choose to shop in the modern age. Lilly Lim-Camacho, a principal research scientist at CSIRO, explained that convenience can drive our habits when it comes to what we buy for our meals. "When it comes to purchasing food, buying fresh food to prepare yourself isn't as convenient when compared to other things," she told SBS News. "In addition, it can be seen as expensive, not only because of the increased cost but the increased time that goes into preparing food." The environments we are exposed to when buying food also play a part, as people can be swayed by marketing, she added. The CSIRO report highlights that fast food outlets are heavily concentrated in areas of socio-economic disadvantage and around schools, which could be driving poor dietary patterns among these groups. "For example, children's exposure to fast food advertisements can affect what they want to eat afterwards," she said. The report added that people who are living with socio-economic disadvantage within regional and remote areas faced the biggest harms of food insecurity. Australian food relief charities that assist people in accessing affordable and nutritious food say the cost of living remains a major barrier to healthy eating. At the same time, millions of tonnes go to landfills each year, according to Foodbank Australia. "Australia wastes over 7.6 million tonnes of perfectly edible food a year," the charity's chief operating officer, Sarah Pennell, told SBS News. "We want to see more of that good surplus food diverted to charities like Foodbank rather than landfill. With the right incentives and infrastructure, we can dramatically reduce waste and boost food relief efforts." Food charity Second Bite's CEO, Daniel Moorfield, told SBS News they rescue around 25 million kilograms of food each year, which is equivalent to 50 million meals. But there is more they could do with support. "We strongly support the National Food Donation Tax Incentive, which encourages more businesses to donate surplus food rather than waste it, helping to feed more Australians in need," he said. "This straightforward policy can help deliver millions of healthy meals to Australians in need, improving food security and nutrition while advancing our national food waste reduction goals." One way to encourage people to make healthy choices, according to the CSIRO, is a levy on unhealthy foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, adds the report. The World Health Organization encouraged a similar tax on sugary drinks in 2022. Pennell said such a levy would need to be considered in the light of its impact on low-income households. "We would support well-thought-out policies that improve dietary health and fund food relief efforts – but only if they don't make life harder for those already struggling to afford the basics."
