'Inside our Food Companies' is a series of reports that benchmark the nutrition-related policies and practices of major food companies in Australia
Unhealthy diets and obesity are leading contributors to poor health in Australia. Obesity and diet-related risk factors have a substantial impact on the health of individuals, communities, the health system and the economy.
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Tackling obesity, unhealthy food environments and improving population diets requires a comprehensive societal response, including effective government policies, strong community support, and wide-scale action from the food industry.
Key international health bodies have identified a number of actions that the food industry can take to improve population nutrition and create healthier food environments, including:​
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Ensuring that healthy and nutritious choices are widely available and affordable
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Reformulating existing products to reduce nutrients of concern (sodium, saturated fat, trans fat,
sugar) and developing new healthier products -
Practicing responsible marketing of unhealthy foods and brands, especially to children
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Providing consumers with clear, easily understood, and evidence-based nutrition information on food labels.
Benchmarking company nutrition policies and practices
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In this series of reports, we assessed the largest Australian food companies on their policies and practices for supporting healthier food environments and improving population nutrition, across three major food industry sectors: supermarkets, food and beverage manufacturers, and quick service restaurants. The objective was to highlight where Australian companies are demonstrating leadership in relation to obesity prevention and nutrition, and identify areas for improvement. The assessments were conducted in 2018, and again in 2024.
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Monitoring the healthiness of Australian supermarkets
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The 'Inside our Supermarkets 2020' report assessed the healthiness of Australian supermarkets. The aim of this study was to assess the degree to which the in-store environment within major Australian supermarket chains (Coles, Woolworths, ALDI and independent stores) promote healthy eating, and how this varies according to the level of socioeconomic disadvantage of the area in which the stores were located.
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Click on the links below for more details.
