National & international strategies

National Obesity Strategy

Launched in March 2022 the National Obesity Strategy aims to halt the rise and reverse the trend in the prevalence of obesity in adults, and to reduce overweight and obesity in children and adolescents by at least 5% by 2030.

Food for Health Alliance welcomed the release of the National Obesity Strategy but over a year on we are yet to see any implementation strategy or action. Food for Health Alliance is calling for governments across Australia to take action to ensure the aims of the National Obesity Strategy are met.

Food Policy Index

Comprehensive government policy action is needed to address obesity and improve population diets.

Unhealthy diets and obesity are leading contributors to poor health in Australia. Addressing obesity and improving population diets requires a comprehensive government response at the Commonwealth and State/Territory levels.

There is expert consensus internationally on policy actions that are required to improve population nutrition and create healthier food environments.

Our partner, the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE) at Deakin University (with support from Food for Health Alliance and The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre) created the Food Policy Index to assess the extent to which each jurisdiction in Australia is implementing globally recommended policies, and identify priority actions at the state/territory and federal level.

The Food Policy Index covers key policy areas, including specific aspects of food environments (such as food composition, labelling, promotion, prices and provision) that have been shown to have an important impact on population diets and obesity, as well as infrastructure support (including leadership, governance, monitoring and funding) that helps facilitate effective policy implementation.