Foodie News - October 2009

Welcome to our second edition of Foodie News.   Thank you for all your feedback on our first issue, I hope you find this one as insightful and interesting to read.  You'll notice that this month's issue is short and sweet.  This is mainly because the wheels of policy can move slowly, however I will continue to provide updates as they arise.

I am also excited to include an article which I have written for the Healthy Food Guide magazine - Are your hormones making you fat?

Please continue to provide your feedback and if there is any specific topic or issue you would like included, please advise.  

Feel free to forward Foodie News on to friends and colleagues in your organisation who you think may be interested.  And if you would prefer to not receive Foodie News just drop me a note. 

Enjoy!

Tracy Morris, Nutrition Communications Manager

News

Beef industry takes a stand
A story appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald last week (10 Oct) suggesting that as much as 30 per cent of the beef sold in Australia is old cow meat repackaged as prime produce.  Click here for full article.   This prompted the beef industry to take out a full page advert four days later calling the claims 'outrageous and wrong'. Click here to see the advert.

What a waste - Australia's $5b food dumping issue 
Australians waste over $5b worth of food every year, with fresh food being our biggest problem.  It seems people start out with good intentions but the food ultimately goes in the bin when left uneaten. Read more.

US Food Industry forms anti-obesity foundation
Grocers and food manufacturers, including Safeway, Nestle USA, ConAgra, Kraft and Mars, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have come together to form the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, which has pledged $20 million to fighting childhood obesity. Read more.

Are your hormones making you fat?
Eating well, exercising and still struggling to slim down?  If you're having trouble shifting unwanted kilos, what you are eating might not be to blame.  Read more to find out if a major hormone imbalance could be affecting your weight. Read more
 

Journals & Reports

Diet not exercise, the key to weight loss
In the fight against obesity, we’re urged to get off the couch. Yet recent studies show that the benefits of exercise for weight loss have been overstated. Professor Boyd Swinburn, director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, says: “This is provocative in many ways . . . but my concern is that if we put the emphasis on exercise we are unlikely to tackle the obesity problem as we are not driving at the root cause". Read more

Study to investigate alleged side effects of aspartame
The University of Hull, England, has been commissioned by The Food Standards Agency (FSA), UK, to assess whether aspartame causes symptoms in individuals who feel they are sensitive to it. The study will take place at various locations in the UK. The researchers have said "This study is not to determine whether aspartame can be consumed safely; this has already been established by the FSA and EFSA, but rather to see whether certain people are sensitive to it. Read more

Pesticides in wine
A recent investigation has uncovered large numbers of pesticide residues in bottles of wine on sale in the European Union.  The report on pesticide levels in wine has been released by Pesticide Action Network in Europe, showing an average of 4 (up to 10!) different pesticides in a bottle of wine.  According to the report, grapes have some of the highest pesticide use, but even when the grapes were within acceptable residue limits pesticide residues are detected in wine. Read more.

Policy

Updates

Junk food advertising - Deakin University releases paper
Anne Magnus and Boyd Swinburn et al have published a paper in the International Journal of Obesity addressing the cost-effectiveness of removing television advertising of high-fat and/or high-sugar food and beverages to Australian children. The authors conclude that they recognise the limitations of the available evidence, however feel that restricting TV food advertising to children would be one of the most cost-effective population-based interventions available to governments today. Read more.

Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey 2007
Professor Tim Gill, has completed the first detailed critique of the results from the Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. His results show that the contribution of ''extra'' foods like chips, sweets and fizzy drinks to Australian children's diets has fallen over the past decade, suggesting the healthy eating message may be getting through to parents. Prof Gill will present his findings at the Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society's scientific meeting in Melbourne next week. Read SMH news story.
 

Key dates

• Core Food Groups Review - Public Consultation expected April 2010
• Dietary Guidelines Review - Public Consultation expected December 2010, launch of guidelines July 2011
• National Preventative Health Taskforce - Final Report released and is available here www.yourhealth.gov.au 
• Front of Pack Labelling Review - due mid 2010
• Adults Nutrition Survey - to commence late 2009
• National Healthy School Canteen Project - currently trialling framework, expected to be finalised April 2010
• Health and Nutrition Claims Proposal P293 (FSANZ) - Review Report due March 2010

Meetings, Conferences and Events

Public Health Association of Australia 39th Annual Conference (28-30 September 2009)

Making a difference: intervening to improve health outcomes

The annual PHAA conference was held in Canberra and focused on interventions to improve health outcomes. The PHAA advocates “Better Health For All” with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes at the population level. There was strong support from government (NHMRC, Department of Health & Ageing, ACT Health and NSW Health) but no industry sponsors or exhibitors were present, highlighting limited consultation with food industry.  The PHAA strongly supports all of the National Preventative Health Taskforce (NPHT) recommendations and the current PHAA position statement on Food Policy “A Future for Food” recommends dietary guidelines “must not only promote certain foods but also recommend limits on or avoidance of foods where the evidence supports this – for instance, salt, processed meats and sugary foods should be avoided”.   For a copy of the PHAA's "A Future for Food" position statement click here.

DAA Corporate Nutrition Interest Group Meeting (14 October 2009)

The guest speaker was Dr Andrew Bartholomaeus (General Manager, Risk Assessment Branch, FSANZ).  He presented a highly informative session on Nanotechnology, an emerging area with massive potential, be it for smart packaging that lets you know when a food is really out of date, or for enhancing the delivery of nutrients in the body (Food Navigator). Andrew gave FSANZ's perspective on this promising new area of science.  Please contact me if you'd like further information.

Upcoming events

The Sweet Story on Stevia - Free Webinar - Thurs 5 Nov 9.00 - 10.00 am

Find out more about Stevia, the natural, zero kilojoule, high-intensity sweetener derived from the leaves of the Stevia plant, its safety and versatility at a FREE Webinar. To register go to www.livepositively.com.au  

Contact details

Tracy Morris, Nutrition Communications Manager

P: 02 9286 1218

tmorris@hillandknowlton.com.au