Are you spending too much of your food budget on junk food like the rest of Australia?
According to new research Australian households are spending majority of food budget on junk food.
These figures show Aussies spend 58% of their food budget on junk food, with 14% on take-away food, and 4% on sweetened drinks.
Professor Amanda Lee presented her research at the Dieticians Association of Australia’s National Conference in Hobart last week.
Professor Lee’s data shows healthy diets are more affordable than unhealthy diets, costing households 15 per cent less.
The Australian Health Survey data shows few Australians consume diets consistent with national recommendations.
Professor Lee said, “Less than four per cent of Australians eat adequate quantities of healthy foods, yet more than 35 per cent of energy intakes comes from discretionary foods and drinks, which provide little nutrition.”
Poor diet is hurting our health and hip pocket.
These figures are particularly worrying as poor diet is the leading preventable cause of ill health in Australia and globally.
It contributes to more than 18 per cent of death in Australia, while obesity costs the nation $58 billion annually.
“At the moment, basic healthy foods like fresh vegetables and fruit are except from the GST, but there’s been talk of extending this to all foods,” said Professor Lee.
Australia needs a coordinated approach to nutrition policy – a call echoed by the Dieticians Associations of Australia, the Public Health Association of Australia, the Heart Foundation and Nutrition Australia.
For further information on how you can learn more about implementing a new National Nutrition Policy, visit Dietician Association of Australia online.
