Dietitians Australia welcomes the decision to include sustainability principles in the National Health and Medical Research Council’s review of the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
It comes as the NHMRC announced the development of a sustainability working group to complement the Australian Dietary Guidelines Review Expert Committee, which includes Accredited Practising Dietitians, food and nutrition scientists and population health experts.
“The Dietary Guidelines review is a rigorous, independent process led by the NHMRC, and the Expert Committee will be reviewing a considerable volume of evidence before their recommendations are made public in 2026,” Dietitians Australia President Tara Diversi said.
“Until the new guidelines are available, Australians should follow the 2013 Dietary Guidelines, and seek individualised advice from an Accredited Practising Dietitian to ensure they meet their unique nutrition needs.
“Dietitians have long been advocating the importance of considering sustainability when it comes to dietary recommendations and how we operate as accredited practising dietitians.
“We must consider not only the health value of what we eat but the impact on the environment from which we source our food.
“The revised guidelines must consider what is nutritionally adequate, the impact of recommendations on the environment and our natural resources, and what is accessible, affordable and culturally acceptable.
“We can’t have population-level guidelines for diet and nutrition without a robust national roadmap to support their delivery.
“It is critical that the government progresses the National Nutrition Policy as a supporting framework to ensure the successful rollout of the renewed guidelines.
“The National Nutrition Policy will be vital for recommending solutions for embedding sustainability in our nutrition landscape and supporting us in navigating our food system’s challenges and how food is produced, formulated, priced, marketed, and distributed to Australians.
