Australia’s largest gathering of accredited practising dietitians, the Dietitians Australia Conference started in Melbourne today, with over six hundred delegates coming together to delve into the nation’s most pressing nutrition issues.

"It's time for more accredited practising dietitians to have seats at the decision-making tables in this country and to be empowered to influence more than just 'health' policy,” Dietitians Australia President Tara Diversi said.

“It was an honour to have the Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Sport Anika Wells officially open our Conference.

“It is heartening to have a Minister who is such a wonderful advocate, and truly understands the need for accredited practising dietitians to be working lockstep with Government and the sector to transform nutrition in aged care.

"It's time for our profession to raise our collective voices. Dietitians speak from a strong evidence-base, we uphold nutrition truths throughout the noise of misinformation and disinformation,” Ms Diversi said.

"It's time for our collective wisdom and breadth of experience to be fully utilised to advance the health and wellbeing of Australians,” Ms Diversi said.

"We're an incredibly diverse profession, the Dietitians Australia 2023 Conference program is just a glimpse into the myriad of nutrition issues dietitians support Australians with.

"We're here in Melbourne together because we're committed to absorbing cutting edge science, keeping highly attuned to the evolution of nutrition research from around Australia and the globe.

"The future of food in this country is top of mind for us. Dietitians are stepping up to support Australians with diet and nutrition support for their own health, and the health of the environment.