Food for Health Alliance

Powerful parent's perspective in the The West Australian, highlighting the influence of unhealthy food and drink advertising on children.

Great to see our resource, the Obesity Evidence Hub, cited too: www.obesityevidencehub.org.au

Is there a real solution to fast-food pester power? It’s that hollow pit in your gut, that feeling of guilt that manifests when you are faced with testimony of your shortcomings as a parent, when you’ve failed your children as their protector.

Currently, the agreement around how baby formula is marketed in Australia is voluntary, allowing manufacturers to irresponsibly market their products to parents and carers — without consequences.

But in positive news, the Federal Government announced this week it plans to better control how infant formulas are marketed in Australia by moving to mandatory legislation. 👏

Hear our Executive Manager, Jane Martin, discuss with SBS News.

Regulating baby formula marketing The federal government is planning to introduce a mandatory code of conduct around the marketing of infant baby formula and toddler milk. Public health groups are welcoming the move, saying it will help parents and caregivers make more informed choices in the early stages of a child's life.

Together with Public Health Australia and VicHealth, we welcome news that the Australian Government plans to better control how infant formulas are marketed in Australia. 👏

This step brings Australia closer to World Health Organization recommendations, helping protect breastfeeding while empowering parents who choose formula to make more informed decisions.

Read our joint media statement: https://t.co/kJh2wOMosc

Aussie families should be able to trust packaged baby/toddler foods are nutritious and marketed responsibly.

This paper by Monash University adds to growing research that shows many of these products can't be trusted.

Help us call for government action to hold the food industry to higher standards: https://bit.ly/3P6p0VK

Parents are told these toddler snacks are healthy. Very few are Parents are turning to readymade snacks to feed young children. Most are failing international nutrition standards.

The UK recently announced that by October 2025 it will implement a ban on junk food marketing on television before 9pm and paid junk food advertising online. Today, we’re calling on Australia to follow their lead!

For nearly two decades, we've been advocating for policies to prevent the processed food industry from bombarding kids with their ads through television and online.

Today’s call is backed by new data that shows nearly 7 in 10 of Australian adults are in favour of the Government taking action to protect children from unhealthy food and sugary drink marketing.

Read our media release: https://bit.ly/3Zt5zfD

Incredible news! Starting October 2025, unhealthy food and drink advertising will not no longer be allowed online or on television before 9pm in the UK. This is a huge win for public health – and now, it’s time for Australia to step up too!

Research shows Australian kids aged 5 to 8 see at least 827 unhealthy food ads on TV every year.

By age 13, marketers have collected around 72 million data points about our kids online, which they use to target them with unhealthy advertisements.

If you want to see Australia take similar steps to the UK to protect our children’s health, join the Brands Off Our Kids campaign today: https://bit.ly/3SS8QAx

Babies and toddlers deserve access to food that supports good health. But in Australia, the reality is most packaged foods for little ones fall short of World Health Organization (WHO) nutrition standards.

Sign up to our campaign to help ensure these foods are made and marketed responsibly: https://bit.ly/3P6p0VK

'Our children deserve better than that': Calls for better regulation of baby food Parents and experts say they want to see greater regulation of sugar in baby food as one state government says it will explore its options if national nutritional standards do not improve.

What a day! 🙌 We had an incredible time presenting at the Queensland Prevention Symposium today with Norman Swan, Madonna King, and other top communication experts.

Together, we explored cutting-edge strategies and best practices for crafting compelling health messages that truly make an impact.

Thank you for having us Health and Wellbeing Queensland and Queensland Health!

Australians deserve a food environment that supports good health and nutrition. But the reality is our current system is falling short. Thanks to ABC News for putting the spotlight on this critical issue.

Unsure if the food you buy is actually healthy? It could get clearer under government overhaul Leading food manufacturers could soon be subject to mandatory health star ratings, more onerous labelling on packaged foods and restrictions on marketing, especially to infants, under a federal government overhaul.

In the latest edition of Children and Media Australia's "Small Screen", our Executive Manager breaks down the recent recommendations made by the Federal Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes to improve our food environment.

Read the article to get her take on what these could mean for Australians' health — and what needs to happen next.

Small Screen At a crossroads: Diabetes inquiry's recommendations offer hope for healthier Australia Small Screen At a crossroads: Diabetes inquiry's recommendations offer hope for healthier Australia

We've been cooking up a surprise and it's time to spill the beans! Our Executive Manager, Jane Martin, is part of the stellar judging panel behind Jamie Oliver's Food Hero Awards in Australia!

We're so excited to be part of this celebration of people doing amazing things for children's health through food.

Whether you’re an Australian teacher, community group or local business making a difference, the judges (including Jane!) want to hear your Food Hero story.

Nominations are open now. 🌟 Learn more and apply today: https://bit.ly/4coNWRi

Australia must introduce higher standards to ensure baby and toddler food products are genuinely nutritious and accurately labelled.

"Parents need to be able to trust what’s on the shelves and know they’re not being misled by marketers," our Executive Manager, Jane Martin, told The Guardian.

How Australia’s infant food labelling’s ‘health halo effect’ risks leaving babies under-nourished Despite public perception of strict regulation of the quality of food for infants, report finds the reality is very different

Alcohol brands use claims like ‘no sugar’ and ‘low carb’ to make products sound 'healthy.' But let’s be clear: alcohol in any amount is harmful to health.

Higher standards are needed to ensure Australians aren't being misled by marketing spin on alcoholic products. Cancer Council Victoria

Booze makers have come under fire for using “virtue marketing” to make their products appear healthier and a leading health body now wants low sugar and carb claims stripped from all packaging > https://bit.ly/3Sf4yDP

In the year after UK introduced a levy on sugary drinks, daily sugar intake fell by about 4.8g for children, and 10.9g for adults, a new study has found.

Australia, it's time to put public health first and introduce a levy on sugary drinks.

Children’s sugar consumption halved since tax announcement, study finds Experts say success soft drinks shows expansion of tax to cover other foods and drinks is a ‘no brainer’

We loved being on The Project last week, discussing the urgent need for policies that improve our food environment and support Australians' health!

Our Executive Manager, Jane Martin, spoke to robust evidence supporting a levy on sugary drink manufacturers, including success stories from Mexico and the UK.

Catch the full interview here: https://bit.ly/4bBUdsm

Sugar Tax: The Diabetes Solution We've Been Missing New recommendations have seen a push for a sugar tax to be introduced in Australia to tackle the epidemic of diabetes and obesity, but will it actually work?...

Big news! The Federal Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes has recommended the Australian Government takes action to protect children from junk food marketing as well as introduce a levy on sugary drinks.

The Committee also called for Australia to reform food labels to show added sugar clearly on the front of the pack.

Learn more in our media release 👉 https://bit.ly/3W8Ldq9

Foods for babies and toddlers should be nutritious, right?

Of 330 products in Australian supermarkets our research analysed, some products contained 60% sugar — that's more sugary than a Kit Kat!

Meanwhile, 72% of these foods fell short of all World Health Organization nutrition standards for sugar, sweetness, sodium, fat, and energy.

Read more on Public Health Australia's website: https://bit.ly/45BsmqC

Baby and toddler foods are not what they seem : Intouch Public Health In Australia, there are currently no requirements that baby and toddler foods should provide good nutrition.

Heard of the Obesity Evidence Hub? It's an easy-to-use online resource offering the latest research on obesity trends, health impacts, prevention, and treatment in Australia.

This evolving platform delivers essential data to shape future health policies. Build your knowledge by visiting the Hub today at www.obesityevidencehub.org.au. 💪

“We really should be prioritising our children’s health over corporate profits, because that’s what this advertising is for – to sell more, to make profits for these corporations,” our Executive Manager told The Australian.

Learn more about the influence of junk food advertising on children on our website: https://bit.ly/3SS8QAx

Children targeted by gambling, alcohol ads online Children as young as eight are being targeted by gambling, ­alcohol and junk food advertisements, with experts calling on the government to step in.

Australians want to eat well and enjoy good health. But supermarkets make it challenging with their tactics to sell unhealthy foods – think 2 for $10 deals and sweets at checkouts.

New data we've launched today reveals the impact. Of over 2000 Australian adults surveyed, 3 in 5 reported they sometimes, often, or always buy more unhealthy food at the supermarket than they intend.

Our government must encourage supermarkets to promote healthy foods like fruits and veggies instead of junk food, creating a healthier food environment for us all.

Check out our media release for more details: https://bit.ly/4eez2zb

Don't miss this! Kids are invited to become food explorers in the new Secret World of Food activation at Melbourne Museum.

Created by VicHealth and Museums Victoria, this fun and educational experience takes our children on a journey from the farm to our plates, to teach them about the entire food journey.

It’s open for 3 weekends in June and entry is free with your Museum ticket. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4aWuUAN