Food and Health Dialogue "very weak", voluntary regulation not working

Despite the federal government’s Food and Health Dialogue making a valiant effort to make foods healthier, Australians are being failed by the system, researchers say.

Professor Bruce Neal led a team from The George Institute and The University of Sydney that evaluated the Food and Health Dialogue and found that, while it has noble aims, it unfortunately has a “very weak implementation plan”.

Launched in mid-2009 to improve the nutritional profile of foods and educate consumers about diet, the Food and Health Dialogue has set targets for just 11 out of a possible 124 action areas (8.9%) - but none of these have been delivered, Professor Neal says.

“If we are to get on top of health problems like obesity, diabetes and heart disease we have to fully implement the Dialogue objectives. The huge quantities of salt, sugar and fat added to the food supply by industry are now the main cause of ill health in the country, and the Dialogue is the only serious attempt to get on top of this,” Professor Neal said.

Some companies have made an effort to improve the nutritional profile of their products, but Professor Neal says progress is still “depressingly slow”.

“We need the government to make this a priority,” said Professor Rob Moodie, a co-author from the University of Melbourne. “And we have to find a way to strengthen a process that relies upon the voluntary engagement of industry. Powerful industry lobby groups like the Australian Food and Grocery Council are stifling action.”

The evaluation, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, has made three key groups of recommendations:

1. Rationalising of stakeholder roles: government and public health groups must set policies; the food industry must deliver them.
2. Clear targets and timelines, with penalties for non-compliance: enforcement if voluntary measures fail to deliver.
3. Better transparency and reporting: successes and failures of individual industry players need to be highlighted, with easy community access to information.

The authors also compared the dialogue to similar programs in the US and UK that have been successful. The evaluation highlights the need for stronger leadership, transparency and regular reporting.

“The UK experience has shown that these types of initiatives can be effective, but action in Australia is occurring at a glacial pace,” said Jane Martin from the Obesity Policy Coalition.

“If we don’t want to be the first generation to outlive our children, then we need to get serious about improving diets, particularly in children. We need meaningful targets, with sanctions for non-compliance, and we need the government to take a strong stance and lead the way on this.”