The Obesity Policy Coalition has welcomed the Albanese Government and its newly-appointed Ministry, while it reiterated its call for urgent action to protect the long-term health of all Australians.
Under the framework of the National Obesity Strategy and the National Preventive Health Strategy, OPC has urged the incoming government to prioritise and fund action to:
- Protect children from unhealthy food and drink marketing
- Inform consumers about harmful sugars in packaged foods
- Protect the health of our youngest Australians by improving the composition, labelling and promotion of baby and toddler foods; and
- Reduce sugary drink consumption by introducing a health levy on manufacturers to incentivise reformulation.
In Australia, more than two thirds of adults (67%) and a quarter (25%) of children are above a healthy weight – with over 90% not meeting guidelines for healthy diets.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare recently reported that overweight and obesity is the most expensive preventable risk factor for our health system, contributing 18% to health spending.
To protect and promote the health of all Australians across the socio-economic divide, supporting and promoting environments that support healthy diets will drive better health outcomes for families now and into the future.