Dietitians Australia is congratulating the Hon Mark Butler MP Minister for Health and Aged Care and the Hon Ged Kearney MP Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care on the release of Australia’s new National Health and Climate Strategy. 

The Strategy includes actions that acknowledge the critical role of food intake and nutrition in strengthening both population and planetary health, encompassing all levels of the health system. 

“To set Australians up for a nourished future, we need to ensure our food supply and system is supported through policy that fosters climate resilience and sustainability, and this Strategy is an important step towards achieving this,” Dietitians Australia Acting Chief Executive Officer, Natalie Stapleton said.  

“A healthy and environmentally sustainable diet needs to be nutritionally adequate while having a low environmental impact, and taking into consideration the protection of natural resources, biodiversity and what is culturally acceptable,” Ms Stapleton said. 

“We have been calling for sustainability principles to be embedded within the current Australian Dietary Guidelines review and is heartening to see this emphasised in the Strategy. 

“In addition to this, we want to see policies that support the reorientation of our food environment to prioritise access to healthy, sustainable, and nourishing foods. 

“We applaud the Government’s commitment within the Strategy to conduct a review nutrition and sustainability standards in health care, considering elements including food access, availability and procurement across state and territory hospitals. 

“We encourage the Government to ensure accredited practising dietitians are involved in supporting this review and leading with advice and guidance on food provision that meets both health and sustainability goals. 

“It is promising to see the Government’s commitment to supporting the health workforce to lead action on climate and health, sustainability is ingrained in our professional competency standards, and we stand ready to support leading in this area. 

“Dietitians Australia also applauds the commitment in the Strategy to partnering with First Nations communities to address food security in remote areas, through the National Strategy for Food Security in Remote First Nations Communities. 

“Dietitians Australia looks forward to supporting the Government to deliver on this Strategy, across state and territory health settings and the food system and we look forward to seeing the funding and implementation plan to back it,” Ms Stapleton said.