Dietitians Australia, the peak body for dietitians and nutrition professionals, is insisting anyone prescribed a weight loss medication in Australia must also receive a referral to a dietitian for ongoing support.

Dietitians Australia welcomes the global discussion sparked following the release of the Lancet Commission’s definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesity – as an opportunity to continue the conversation urgently needed in the global healthcare community to ensure people, regardless of their body size, receive the healthcare they need.

Released March 2023 - Dietitians Australia’s key focus of the report is on the use of children’s data and personal information to market unhealthy foods and diets. Children should be able to use digital media without being exposed to and bombarded with sophisticated digital marketing campaigns for unhealthy food.

Victoria needs urgent investment in preventive health measures, according to the latest scorecard of government performance related to obesity.

A recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has confirmed that unhealthy eating is the new smoking with ‘overweight and obesity’ the number one risk factor contributing the highest cost to Australia’s health system, at $4.3billion versus $3.3billion for smoking.

Dietitians Australia joined Cancer Council NSW and 12 other health organisations in a call for the NSW government to remove unhealthy food advertising from property owned by, or contracted to, the NSW Government.

Released July 2021 - Exposure to unhealthy food marketing is widely accepted to be a direct contributor to poor diets and unhealthy weight gain in childhood. We support the development of an international standard aligned with World Health Organization guidelines that puts the health and wellbeing of children first, and is free from commercial interests.

Released August 2021- Dieititans Australia supports portion guidance and serving size goals as a complementary public health measure, if accompanied by a transparent monitoring and evaluation plan.

Released November 2021 - We are supportive of government strategies that aim to promote the health of Australians and address key chronic disease risk factors, such as overweight and obesity. We support the National Obesity Prevention Strategy and its ambitions but have given some recommendations.

Released November 2021 - The Australian Capital Territory Primary Health Network (ACT PHN) has reviewed its previous Needs Assessments. Dietitians Australia has submitted feedback to the draft Needs Assessment as part of the community consultation.