About Us
The Food and Health Dialogue was announced by the former Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP, on 28 October 2009. The Australian Government’s Food and Health Dialogue is a joint government-industry-public health initiative aimed at addressing poor dietary habits and making healthier food choices easier and more accessible for all Australians.
Membership
The governance structure for the Dialogue comprises an Executive Group, a Reformulation Working Group and industry roundtables arranged by food category or sector. Industry roundtable participants may include, but are not limited to, representatives from manufacturers, retailers, and the quick service restaurant and catering sectors. Participation on roundtables is voluntary and there are no legal obligations tied to involvement.
The Food and Health Dialogue Executive is chaired by the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, the Honourable Catherine King MP. The members of the Food and Health Dialogue Executive are:
The Honorable Catherine King MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing (Chair)
TBC, Chief Executive Officer Australian Food and Grocery Council
Dr Lyn Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, National Heart Foundation of Australia
Mr Andrew Hall, Director Corporate and Public Affairs, Woolworths Ltd
Dr Manny Noakes, Senior Dietitian and Research Scientist, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Mr Michael Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Public Health Association of Australia
Ms Patricia Carter, Principal Advisor-Public Health Nutrition, Health Promotion Branch, Public Health and Clinical Systems, SA Health
Ms Tracey Monaghan, Director of Quality Assurance ANZ, McDonald’s Australia (Quick Service Restaurant Forum representative)
Mr Steve McCutcheon, Chief Executive Officer, Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
Reformulation Working Group
A Reformulation Working Group (RWG) has been established under the Food and Health Dialogue to investigate priority food categories, which have been identified as presenting an opportunity for public health benefit through reformulation.
It is the role of the RWG to convene industry roundtables to discuss and agree to reformulation and where appropriate, portion sizing and consumer messaging targets.
The Reformulation Working Group is chaired by the Department of Health and Ageing.
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Membership of the Reformulation Working Group comprises:
- Department of Health and Ageing (Chair)
- National Heart Foundation of Australia (NHF)
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
- Woolworths Ltd
- Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC)
Industry Roundtables
The industry roundtables convened under the Food and Health Dialogue capture nominated food category leaders selected for their market share. The food category roundtables have representation, as appropriate, from manufacturers, retailers, foodservice operators and distributors. Participation on roundtables is voluntary and there are no legal obligations tied to involvement.
It is the intent of the roundtables to discuss and agree to approaches that support the Dialogue’s public health objectives, including reformulation, portion sizing and consumer messaging targets. Industry roundtable participants commit to developing action plans that outline how they will work towards achieving the targets.
To date, roundtables have been convened with representatives from the bread, breakfast cereal, processed meat, simmer sauce, soup and savoury pie sectors. Participation on the roundtables is voluntary.
Industry roundtable participants include:
Breads
| Breakfast cereals
|
Simmer Sauces
| Processed Meats
|
Soup
| Savoury Pies
|
The next categories to be engaged under the Dialogue include processed poultry, cheese, potato/corn and extruded snacks, noodles and condiments.
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