Formulating a National Food Policy to Promote Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems

Running head: FOOD POLICY AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Formulating a National Food Policy to Promote Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1FOOD POLICY AND PUBLIC HEALTH
The purpose of this assignment is to develop a national food policy. The current diet of
the Australians is not at par with the healthy and sustainable diet. The current diet systems will
be reviewed in this paper and the brief will be given about the needed diet for the people that will
reduce their health problems. The focus will be on the current national diet. The gap between the
current national diet and the sustainable healthy diet will be discussed as well. The national food
policy will also be discussed in this matter with focus on the healthy and sustainable food items.
Part One
The type of policy
Nutrition and public health is more or less one of the most critical responsibilities of the
Australian government. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has featured some elements and
ingredients of food that will be beneficial for the people of Australia. People should follow these
food habits to combat public health disorders (1). The Global Nutrition Report of 2019 has
revealed that public health issues are growing day by day, and people should always care for
their sustainable health system.
The current national diet consists of several food items. These food items include the
fruits, wholegram cereals, vegetables and legumes or beans, cheese, yoghurt, reduced fat milk,
red meat for young females, seafood, fish and other different food items. Many people in
Australia are also fond of poor eating habits like baked food products like pastries, fried take-
away foods that increases fat and food items with saturated fat and added sugar.
It has been revealed that a large number of people are currently suffering from
malnutrition and eating disorders (2). To cope with this issue, people should always look into
their food habits and go for a balanced and sustainable diet. This kind of sustainable diet includes

2FOOD POLICY AND PUBLIC HEALTH
both animal and plant-based foods. The patterns of human diet have left a negative impact on the
health and environment in Australia for various reasons. There are generally three reasons as to
why people suffer from diet issues in Australia. These primary causes are dietary excesses,
dietary imbalances and sustainability in the food system and security of health (1). The
sustainable food systems in Australia will inevitably cause minimum damage in Australia, and its
less impact will be significant on the environment as well. The practice of eating balanced foods
should begin to save the planet earth from the minimum damage.
Malnutrition can be found in different forms. These forms are undernutrition, obesity and
all sorts of dietary risks in the world. The effect of climate change can also disturb the health of
people. Heavy rainfall can sometimes cause some stomach problems in people if they consume
unhealthy food. This is why people must start to focus on healthy eating habits as soon as
possible. Diet-related diseases and risk factors are increasing all over the world. In order to
prevent them, people should start to eat sustainable foods. Obesity is one of the most vulnerable
diseases regarding diet issues all over the world (2). It has also created a negative impact on the
health and well being of the individuals as well. The intake of the nutrients is a significant factor
for the overall development of the body. The proper relationship between health and nutrients
should be developed and understood correctly.
Moreover, the United Nations should take care of this issue in a proper manner. After
that only, the Australian Bureau of Statistics will be able to derive how this issue can be curbed
down (3). Through the implementation of the active food policies, chronic food diseases can be
adequately managed indeed. The government can opt to take some strict steps to make the most
of the opportunities (24). Different levels of governance should be interested in the well being of
ordinary people's health issues. The types of food consumption by the people must be formulated

3FOOD POLICY AND PUBLIC HEALTH
so the problems can be dealt with more effectiveness indeed. A proper sustainable diet will;
always keep the chronic diseases away and the only way to do this by including fruits and
vegetables in the daily diet chart (3).
Current national diet
The food groups are quite significant because they cater to better health conditions of the
individuals. Generally, there are five major food groups, and the government of Australia should
follow this regularly. These five major food groups consist of:-
Consumption of 5 food groups
 Fruit
 Legumes and Vegetables
 Cereal foods or grains, high cereal fibre and wholegrain
 Fishes, eggs, tofu, seeds and nuts, poultry and lean meats
 Yogurt, milk, cheese and other alternatives
The current diet of Australia is something to look for and discuss. As a part of the dietary
guidelines of Australia, some sections should be mentioned in this section.
 Promotion of health and well being among common people of the country
 Reduction of the risks regarding diet-related issues like high blood pressure, high
cholesterol and obesity
 Modification of the different types of diseases like type 2 diabetes, few examples of
cancers and cardiovascular diseases of some sorts (20).