Sugar has been part of the human diet for as long as we’ve wandered the earth. Every culture, both modern and ancient has foods that contain natural sugars and in more recent years, added sugars are enjoyed and consumed across a wide variety of dishes. Australia is in the top ten producers of sugarcane in the world and the quality of the sugar we grow, mill and refine is some of the highest in the world. We adhere to the CODEX and the ANZ Food Standards Code to produce high quality and safe food, but what is the process to test the sugar we produce for quality?
The New Zealand Ministry of Education has asked for public feedback on its proposal to introduce regulations in schools to only provide healthy drinks for sale: water, milk and non-dairy alternatives. The consultation closed on June 2. If these changes are agreed, they will take effect from Term 1, 2023, after the current National Administration Guidelines (NAG) 5b ceases on January 1, 2023.
The idea of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) as defined by the Nova classification system is gaining traction with more research showing associations between their consumption and poor health outcomes.
Provides information and policy options to incentivize consumption of healthier options and disincentivize the consumption of less healthy options, such as taxes on less healthy foods and beverages and subsidies on healthier foods and beverages.
Provides information and practical guidance for implementing effective policy actions on food reformulation- altering the processing or composition of a food or beverage product, to improve its nutritional profile. This can help ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all, and shift towards healthier and sustainable consumption patterns.
Provides information and options for nutrition labelling policies, including policies on ingredient lists, nutrient declarations, supplementary nutrition information (e.g. front-of-pack labelling FOPL) and nutrition and health claims.
Calls upon governments to implement comprehensive policy approaches to restrict marketing of foods that contribute to an unhealthy diet, to reduce children’s exposure to such marketing and to reduce the power of such marketing.
In a remarkable Australian Federal election that saw the loss of many Liberal party member’s seats and the emergence of the so called ‘teal independents’ (predominantly female candidates with a mix of the Greens and Liberal party (blue) policies), the Australian Labor Party has been swept to power and Anthony Albanese is the new Prime Minister.
