Food for Health Alliance

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Food for Health Alliance

Australia's leading policy & advocacy voice working to improve diets & prevent overweight & obesity.

Food for Health Alliance (formerly known as the Obesity Policy Coalition) is a leading policy and advocacy voice working to improve diets and prevent overweight and obesity in Australia, particularly for children. We advocate to governments for laws and policies to improve our food environment – the way our food is made, labelled, sold and advertised. By changing our food environment, we can help to create a world that supports health and wellbeing, making it easier for all Australians to live well. Our key priority areas are protecting children from unhealthy food marketing, improving food labelling, improving foods for babies and toddlers, and influencing changes to how foods are priced and taxed. We also focus on the frameworks that influence these key issues, including national strategies, international guidance, and the regulation of the food system. Our work is informed by current evidence, and we work with researchers, health professionals and other policy experts to build, inform and communicate the evidence on diets, obesity prevention, trends, and impacts. Our partners are Cancer Council Victoria, VicHealth and the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition at Deakin University.

28/11/2025

"Why are toddler food companies allowed to get away with misleading parents of babies and toddlers in this way?"

Meet Generation Victoria - GenV dad Drew. He's a dad with a two-year-old from Melbourne, and nutrition is really important to him.

Like many parents, he once assumed that packaged foods for babies and toddlers were tightly regulated in Australia.

But the sad reality is they are not.

“If I buy these products, I feel I should be able to trust that what's being sold to me is nutritious," he said.

"It shouldn’t take a science degree to figure out what’s really in the food," he said.

A recent survey of over 7,000 GenV (short for Generation Victoria) parents shows that nearly all parents believe these foods should be better regulated.

If you share Drew's concerns, sign up to support our Kids Are Sweet Enough campaign today.

With your help, we're calling for baby and toddler food companies to be held to higher standards in Australia. More information on our website: https://bit.ly/3IKRMen | VicHealth

23/11/2025

The first three years of a child’s life are essential for their development. So it’s crucial that foods marketed as being suitable for them support their health.

But our past research found some toddler snack products sold in Australia contain as much sugar as confectionary. 🍭

It's clear regulation around these foods is urgently needed in Australia.

This is even more important now with recently launched data showing a majority of Australian toddlers consume these foods.

We need to keep the pressure on decisionmakers to put our children’s health first.

Add the word ‘petition’ in the comments and we will send you the link to add your name. ✍️

21/11/2025

Of children who have tried packaged baby and toddler foods before, 9 in 10 started eating them within the first 12 months of their life, according to a survey by Murdoch Children's Research Institute - MCRI launched this week.

When you learn that most of these don't support children's health, these stats are pretty concerning.

We need government to step in and hold baby and toddler food companies to higher standards. Parents should be able to trust these foods are healthy.

Join us in calling for change. Sign up to support our Kids Are Sweet Enough campaign today: https://bit.ly/3IKRMen

18/11/2025

Most toddler food products sold in Aussie supermarkets do not meet nutrition standards set by the World Health Organization.

Now a largest-of-its-kind survey of more than 7,000 parents has exposed just how often these foods being eaten by young Australians.

According to the landmark research by Murdoch Rese, 8 in 10 (80%) children aged 18 months to 4 years ate packaged toddler foods in the month of the survey.

Nearly half (43%) consumed packaged toddler foods on five or more days per week in the last month.

This data makes it clearer than ever that regulation around these foods, including how much salt and sugar can go into them, must be prioritised to protect young children's health.

Read the full media release: https://bit.ly/4o2oaIg

17/11/2025

Time’s up for food manufacturers to comply with Health Star Ratings.

Industry has had years to meet the government’s voluntary targets, but new research by The George Institute for Global Health has shown that just 37% have adopted the rating system, falling well and truly short of the 70% target.

The wilful failure of industry to meet voluntary targets shows just how important it is that Health Star Ratings become mandatory.

Food companies have been exploiting the Health Star Rating system for years by cherry picking which products they label – typically favouring their higher rating products.

Making the system mandatory will make it easier for Australians to buy healthier options and push food companies to improve the nutrition of their products.

Read our joint media release withThe George Institute for Global Health and VicHealth: https://bit.ly/3XkaKwt

31/10/2025

Contrary to what the marketing may lead you to believe toddler milks, are unnecessary and offer no nutritional benefit beyond what young children ingest from regular food.

That’s why today we’ve welcomed a draft determination released by the Australian Taxation Office, clarifying that GST does apply to toddler milk products.

We hope this move will help encourage more Australian families to reconsider buying these expensive products altogether and switch to water and cow’s milk.

Find more information in our media release through our website: https://bit.ly/4oKMaAg

24/10/2025

What are the forces driving our choices before we hit the supermarket check-out? 🧠

We joined the latest episode of the PsychTalks podcast by The University of Melbourne to unpack the clever marketing tactics used by food companies and supermarkets to influence what ends up in our shopping trolleys.

The episode also explores how government action can help ensure Australians have access to clear, honest information to make healthier choices.

Listen now: https://bit.ly/43vIQ3R

17/10/2025

Research shows unhealthy foods in Australia are put on special about twice as often as nutritious foods. We know this marketing tactic can lure shoppers to buy more unhealthy products than intended.

England's taken action, stopping supermarkets since this month from having multi-buy and buy-one-get-one free deals on unhealthy foods to protect public health. It’s time Australia did the same.

Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/478jXw3

09/10/2025

We’re gaining traction. But now we need your support. 💪

Our petition calling on governments to introduce comprehensive legislation on baby and toddler foods is LIVE.

We’ve officially passed 100 signatures — can you help us reach our goal of 500?

Swipe to read what we’re calling for, then click the link to sign our petition to set our kids up for the best start in life: https://bit.ly/4q3cK9j

24/09/2025

AFL players are elite athletes. They eat healthy and train hard to make sure they can bring their best performance to games.

And yet, we allow junk food brands that push ultra processed foods and sugary drinks (let's not even mention alcohol or gambling) to sponsor these players and their teams. It's ironic, right?

We want to see government regulation that stops junk food companies from sponsoring elite sport and advertising on TV at all times when children are watching.

Learn more about our campaign: https://bit.ly/45Ip5aT

08/09/2025

Every child should be able to go about their life without seeing ads promoting products that harm their health.

But everyday, the processed food industry bombards Australian kids with unhealthy food and drink advertisements.

These ads influence what our kids eat, want and ask for – and it's putting their health at risk, now and into the future.

Enough is enough. Sign up to our campaign to get : https://bit.ly/45Ip5aT

02/09/2025

Parents should be able to pick up any baby or toddler snack at the supermarket and trust it’s healthy.

They should also be able to trust the marketing on the pack isn’t misleading. It's a no-brainer, right?

But right now, there are too few rules in Australia around how these foods are made and marketed — and our kids' health is paying the price.

You can help us change this. Sign our petition today to improve baby and toddler foods: https://bit.ly/4mV3zFF

Address

Level 8, 200 Victoria Parade
Melbourne, VIC
3002

Website

https://foodforhealthalliance.org.au/

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