Webcast on Issues to inform development of a national food plan

A live public web cast was broadcast from 3.30 – 4.30pm Thursday 18 August, 2011.

View the video file of the online webcast

Due to the time constraints on the day, not all topics or questions raised through the online chat function or among the panel were able to be explored. However the government is considering all stakeholder views.

A full transcript of the questions and comments posted using the online chat facility during the webcast appears below.

The panel members were:

• Tim Mackey (facilitator)
• Phillip Glyde – Deputy Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry representing the department
• Kate Carnell – Chief Executive Officer, Australian Food and Grocery Council, representing the food and grocery manufacturing industry
• Matt Linnegar – Chief Executive Officer, National Farmers Federation, representing farmers
• Rosemary Stanton – Nutritionist, representing the Public Health Association
• Margy Osmond – Chief Executive Officer, Australian National Retailers Association, representing large food retailers
• Heather Yeatman –Associate Professor in School of Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, representing public and community interests

Transcript

15:30 Jennifer Evans Australian
What provisions are being made to ensure all Australians are able to have a regular level of adequate healthy food esp whose in more vulnerable situtations and those living in remote Australia? We currently have urban food deserts and high maluntrition rates in young children in remote australia. How will the plan address these serious inequities.

15:33 Anna
I agree that food production in urban areas needs to be a major focus.

15:35 Stuart Austin
The one thing we cannot produce anymore of is land. How can DAFF and the Ag Portfolio ensure that our food producing land is protected for exactly that, food production? Of all the things in the world we can do without, the one thing we cant is adequate food and water.

15:36 Greg McFarlane
"I think we should discuss whether we have the right to use animals for food. Given that we can live very healthy lives without animals products and that any use of animals for food is necessarily cruel, then we should convert to a completely plant-based diet. This will also solve many environmental, health and social equity problems.
Greg McFarlane, President, Vegan Society NSW"

15:38 Gemma
Not just productive land, but also productive water needs to be protected as much of our food and fibre is grown under irrigation.

15:39 Sue
Hopefully there is a representative from more local urban agriculture/community gardening. More processed foods is NOT what we need.

15:39 Liz Millen
The issues paper has little in it about how to identify what will be needed, as a starting point for identifying the land and other resources needed. Unless we know what to protect we cant even start protecting it.

15:40 Anna
Really good point about looking at how communities relate to their food. Food is more than an industry, it is part of our culture and should be treated as such.

15:43 Sarah Reeves
A National Food Plan will be ineffective unless we begin respecting those that produce the vital nutritious food we require for a healthy diet. This requires: [Editor’s note: comment ended here]

18/08/2011 15:47 NationalFarmers
#NatFoodPlan: Farmers just want to get on with th business of producing high quality, fresh food. We need policies that allow this #agchatoz [via Twitter]

15:43 Russell-SecondBite
Go Rosemary!!! great opening piece on the value of food.

15:45 Sarah Reeves
1. increased market share for growers 2. increased R&D initiatives that are readily accessible and government led to minimise cost to growers. 3. increased incentives for value-adding to increase market competitiveness. 4. access to water effeciency programs.

15:46 Greg McFarlane
"I would like to discuss whether we have the right to use animals for food. Given that we can live very healthy lives without animal products and that any use of animals for food is necessarily cruel, then we should convert to a completely plant-based diet. This will also solve many environmental, health and social equity problems.
Greg McFarlane, President, Vegan Society NSW"

15:46 Stuart Austin
Agreed, we certainly need to engage, encourage, and support anyone who is producing food, from organic growers, urban food, broadacre agriculture and others. Everyone has a role to play in feeding the world and this needs to be recognised by Government and more support offered. Agriculture might not make as many billions of GDP as say the resource industry, but we sure do keep everyone alive and contribute a substantial amount to GDP.

15:46 Alexandra, YFMSydney
We need a clear definition of what people on the panel consider "Food Security" to mean. Industry appears to mean securing the ability to produce food, and the consumer meaning would be about access, affordability and usability.

15:47 Sarah Reeves
How is Australia's food security dependent on the value of the Australian dollar? Are we prepared for a shift from a strong to weak Australian dollar in the future?

18/08/2011 15:49 AusFoodGrocery
hear hear! MT @NationalFarmers: #NatFoodPlan: Farmers just want to get on with th business of producing higÉ (cont) http://t.co/vTeAFWP [via Twitter]

15:48 Anna
Great message about producing a more diverse and exciting range of crops in Australia that would benefit new Australians. Highly processed foods are a problematic answer to ensuring better nutrition in our diet.

15:49 Bob Phelps
How will we move from industrial agribusiness to create sustainable, ecological farming and food production systems that can feed, house and clothe everyone well in perpetuity as oil and phosphate reserves are diminished and global climate changes?

18/08/2011 15:51 Nat_Irrigators
RT @NationalFarmers: NFF's Matt Linnegar is taking part in the #NatFoodPlan webcast at 3:30pm today. Watch online at www.daff.gov.au/nfp ... [via Twitter]

15:49 Deanne Wooden
The primary focus of Queensland food policy "Food for a Growing Economy" is economic development, however the Minister stated that it will be the vehicle for Qld to respond to the National Food Plan, which I would hope will have more of a focus on health and equity of food access. Can you say how consistency with the two plans/policies will be achieved? And how will the national food plan be relevant to local governments?

15:50 Sue Mossman
What consideration is being given to the future impact of commercial growing with increasing fuel prices (which impacts every part of the commercial food supply chain)

15:50 Lynne Wilkinson AUSBUY
Food security also means we retain the skilled farmers on our land, that means equitable return and not selling off the supply chain to foreign interests who move off shore leaving our farmers out, FTA are not in our favour, what does competitive and productivity really mean when we have no viable farmers left, all supply chain for all food sectors except rice are foreign owned, the USA and NZ subsidise their farmers

18/08/2011 15:52 Bidgeeboy
@NationalFarmers: #NatFoodPlan: Farmers just want to get on with th business of producing high quality, fresh food. We need policies ... [via Twitter]

15:51 Wayne:
Do we have enough people with the right skills to grow the food. Also producers at the smaller scale need also support.

15:51 George Biron Sunnybrae
What does the panel think of the co-operative model where food processing is done in regional hubs with raw product imput from many small farms creating a sense of place for regional food products that suit local conditions. That is for example instead of 10 small cheese makers in an area embracing a European model of making a regional cheese and of course other products.

15:52 Sally James
Great point, Rosemary.

15:52 Sue Mossman
It is not just periurban land that is being taken for housing, but our most fertile land eg Liverpool plains is being taken for mining and sold to other countries

15:52 Paul
International data indicate that 40-50% of food goes to waste along the food chain. What contribution can addressing food waste make to food security?

18/08/2011 15:53 heatherbray6
NFF's Matt Linnegar says that investment in ag research should be a key part of National Food Plan #NatFoodPlan #agchatoz [via Twitter]

18/08/2011 15:53 NationalFarmers
@heatherbray6: NFF's Matt Linnegar says that investment in ag research should be a key part of National Food Plan #NatFoodPlan #agchatoz [via Twitter]

15:53 Russell-SecondBite
Australians throw out 7.5 million tonnes of food, of which $1billion dollars worth is fruit and vegetables, while over a million people go hungry, one problem can serve as the solution to the other, is the panel aware of the potential benefit of fresh food rescue on the social, economic, health and environmental impact of all Australians. go to www.secondbite.org to see what is possible

15:54 Linda Tapsell
All plans need to be informed by ongoing research. We have heard there are various dimensions to a food plan - how can the national research effort be better structured to support the plans being discussed here - particularly as there appears to be calls for an integrated approach?

15:55 Michelle McColl
As organic apple growers, we believe the two biggest issues facing food security are the lack of independent agronomic research and extension (especially in the organic sector), and the loss of prime agricultural land to competing interests. How can the National Food Plan address these issues?

15:55 Laurie
Fresh food is the key to good health. Most cheap food is not fresh. Most cheap food is not healthy food. We need government support for local communities (local farmers and local enterprises) producing fresh food. Let's shift the subsidy burden to subsidising good food, rather than subsidising the medical treatments required to compensate for the health impacts of poor quality food upon health.

15:55 Sue Mossman
R&D usually involves chemicals and GM foods. There are established practices that grow great food, perhaps we need to look at simpler systems to grow what we need, rather than pumping additives into food.

15:55 Liz Millen
Part of the problem seems to be that support and planningfor food production doesn't rank as highly as urban development, mining etc. How will the Food Plan help ensure that there is integrated planning for all our future needs. not a 'silo' approach as is currently evident eg with the rush to CSG as the 'answer'

15:56 Bob Phelps
Why are our governments spending so much on genetic manipulation R&D which cannot deliver on their false promises, and other innovations already have delivered innovations and benefits?

15:57 Leah
The panel are yet to really consider how the coming contraints on oil and phosphorus will impact how we grow food and that this will impact our very broken food system. How do the panelist see peak oil impacting the Australian food system and including food trade?

15:57 Paige
R & D is vital but we need to ensure the research hits the mark. Currently research is so general that farmers are, at times, finding it difficult find research that fits with what they are trying to achiever

18/08/2011 15:59 SydFoodFairness
Will the #NatFoodPlan address peak oil, peak phosphate&climate change as impacting the food system? They aren't addressed in the issue paper [via Twitter]

18/08/2011 16:01 insidethetomato
RT @NationalFarmers: RT @heatherbray6: NFF's Matt Linnegar says that investment in ag research should be a key part of National Food Plan #NatFoodPlan #agchatoz [via Twitter]

15:58 Anna
We certainly have a problem with aesthetics in the way we view food. Government should be working towards a community focus on nutrition rather than having food that conforms to an ideal which is reached through chemicals.

15:58 Russell-SecondBite
thanks kate - go first bite???

15:59 Sally James
One big area of wastage is hospitals where vulnerable people with high nutrtional needs are often unable to eat the meals provided.

16:00 Jane
Given the green light the Government gave yesterday to open our boarders to apples from New Zealand regardless of industry's concerns about fire blight decimating our domestic industry - what role is biosecurity likely to have in the Food Plan?

16:01 Liz
Following on from the recent discussion about food waste- rather than conducting R&D or developing policies to manage the waste, a better method could be teaching households and businesses about avoidance.

16:01 Sally Benham
There are so many influences on sustainable, secure food production including nutrients and fertilizer, energy, water, land and labour costs and availability. Will the National Food Plan actively investigate how these complex interactions can come together, as is needed?

16:01 Rachel
Rosemary Stanton makes an extremely good point. We need to be very careful, 'innovation' in the context of 'value adding' can be counter-productive to supporting healthy eating and healthy environments. We don't need more products to help us to be healthy. Supermarkets already stock over 30,000 products - too many. This National Food Plan needs to help the country produce good quality fresh foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and make them easily accessible and available to all.

16:01 Jennifer Evans ARC
What protections are required to ensure Austrlians have control over the land and sea for food production?

16:02 Jess
Regarding rural and regional Australia - How important does the panel think future food security and better health outcomes could and should be achieved through locally produced and locally consumed product - at least as much as possible in the first instance, and then export surplus to state-national-international markets?Higher volumes of locally consumed production should mean less transport and storage costs, fresher product, and healthier diets and people - without a reduction in choice. The rural town I live in (of 40,000 people) consumes 5% of the local agricultural food production - the rest goes to major markets and obviously a fair bit of the local consumption gets shipped back.

16:02 Sally James
To what extenet will the Natiomal Food Plan conversation continue to include input from consumers? we need a long term discussion, not a quick fix.

16:03 Alexandra, YFMSydney
Will the plan address the current lack of transparency withinthe current food system and existing policies?

16:03 Christine Slade
Local government needs to be given more planning and legislative power to determine the best use of land within their municipalities rather than having these decisions made by State government e.g. City of Casey in Victoria

16:04 MacarthurFuturSue Mossman
The city is also able to produce food. Food resilience should be encouraged in all populations, through urban farming/growing initiatives. Will this area be included in the plan

18/08/2011 16:06 YFMSydney
The #NatFoodPlan has a unique opportunity to shape Australia's food culture, forstering the development of values & beliefs in the long term [via Twitter]

16:04 Karen
There has been a massive global movement to promote, support and encourage local food producers via local & regional food groups, farmers markets, food tourism, blackboard projects etc.. Will the National Food Plan recognise and support these opportunities?

16:05 Michelle
The need for a better food labelling regime, particularly country of origin labelling needs to be addressed in the national food plan. Consumers and producers should not have to wait any longer of transparent labelling of food.

16:05 Vince Crawley – Foodservi
Many good points raised and strong representation on the panel however there has been no mention of the Foodservice (out-of-home consumption) market whci accounts for approx 40% of the food dollar spent in Australia.

16:06 Anna
When you talk about food security, how much thought is being given to food sovereignty? Many communities are concerned about where their food is coming from, how it is produced, and why the costs are so high, with so little reward returning to farmers.

18/08/2011 16:10 SydFoodFairness:Ê
What is the remaining consultation process of the #NatFoodPlan going to look like? We hope to see more transparency in this,&the plan itself [via Twitter]

18/08/2011 16:11 Foodwa
How can we combine HEALTH and PROSPERITY as the main POLICY DRIVERS and OUTCOMES for the National Food Plan? [via Twitter]

18/08/2011 16:12 heatherbray6
We've lost both ag literacy and food literacy & the connections between the two in the community #natfoodplan #agchatoz [via Twitter]

16:07 Sally James
How much of the packaged fresh salads are actually eaten and how much go to waste?

18/08/2011 16:14 AlisonFairleigh:Ê
RT @heatherbray6: We've lost both ag literacy and food literacy & the connections between the two in the community #natfoodplan #agchatoz [via Twitter]

16:07 Jane
We need to make "agriculture" sexier. So many newspapers talking about agricultural are full of despair - why would you chose this as a career? Working in agriculture (and that doesn't only mean on a farm) can be wonderful - we need to spread the positives. This country is becoming increasingly urbanised we need to redress this.

16:07 Vince Crawley – Foodservi
Many good points made from a strong panel however there is no mention or representation from the Foodservice market (out-of-home consumption) which accounts for approx 40% of the Australian spend on food. It is a specialist sector that not easliy understaood.

16:08 Joss
In packaging fresh foods, we're increasing the energy and resources in distributing foods needlessly. This dependency may be problematic in a future with constraints on resources and energy.

16:10 Sally James
Vegetabales are still seen as an optional extra inmany places. If fruit and veg wqere cheaper (subsidised not diminishing famers profits) less many would needed for medication.

16:10 Liz Millen
Development of a national food plan provides a great opportunity to open a community-wide discussion about many of these issues. Can the NFP guarantee that this opportunity will not be missed? Scotland and England have set precedents, raising community awareness about where food comes from and the challenges we face

16:10 Wayne:
These ideas work best if driven from local community level. But there are too many organisations to get information from. A single point of contact needs to be used.

16:11 MacarthurFutureFoodForum
Obama's recent speech recently was talking about the need for healthy food and activity to combat obesity, diabetes, hypertension.

16:12 Anthea
Food sovereignty - understanding and better supporting local and regional food economies, and the physical, economic, and cultural infrastructures that can foster and support them, is integral to thinking sustainable 'food' for the longer term

18/08/2011 16:15 SydFoodFairness
YEP!@heatherbray6 RTWe've lost both ag literacy and food literacy & the connections between the two in the community #natfoodplan #agchatoz [via Twitter]

18/08/2011 16:17 YFMSydney:Ê
We need to make sure that increased labelling restrictions don't result in standardisation of food. Nature is not standard! #NatFoodPlan [via Twitter]

16:12 Gillian Blair
I have just got back from a big meeting on biological farming. when will the government give more support to this form of regenerative and sustainable form of agriculture, instead of giving large sums to genetic engineering and the promotion of GE and nanotech. neither of these two industries has been proven to be safe.

16:13 Linda Tapsell
Good discussion on what to do with food, but we should not assume we know everything there is to know about how food affects health. There are big gaps and we need to better harness the national research effort in this regard to help inform decisions on what to do with food and how to regulate it.

16:13 Bob Phelps
Minister Ludwig neglects ongoing public processes in food policy issues, saying only: 'The government ... intends drawing upon ideas and suggestions to develop policy options for a national food plan, but not formally responding to specific submissions or issues.' Why?

16:13 Deanne Wooden
Forget "election committment" - does this food plan have bipartisan support meaning the outcomes will outlast a political term?

16:14 Liz Munn
Can we define food security as nutrient security also - not just affordable and available?

16:15 Sally James
If we are to be proud of the product, we need to educate abouit seasonality. whay are cherries in supermarkets now?

16:16 Sarah Reeves
Should the National Food Plan include accreditation for food miles as way to promote local. regional and national produce as well as minimising carbon footprints?

16:17 Linda Tapsell, University of Wollongong:
How can we better harness the national research effort to enable us to better understand how food affects health (there are signficant gaps in the detail), and how we can produce and manage it better for all (the bulk of the discussion thus far).

16:17 Jennifer Evans ARC
An important aspect of utilisation impacting on Food secuirty is having adequate housing. Given rising levels of homelessness and grossly inadequate housing in many aboriginal communitites how can the plan address this variable?

16:18 Tim
Many of the problems can be solved by educating parents to produce more healthy homecooked Australian food.

16:19 Steve Whan
there has just been a major review of labeling do we really expect the food plan to go over it again?

16:20 Michelle McColl
Over use of nitrogenous fertilizers and water leads to low nutrient-density produce. How can farmers be rewarded according to the nutrient-density of their produce?

16:20 Steve Whan
How will the food plan deal with the impact of the Murray Darling basin plan on food production?

16:22 Gillian Blair
A lot of processed foods in the supermarkets contain substances that are harmful. for example, Kelloggs Froot Loops contain colourings that are listed in my food additive decoder as carcinogens. there is also the issue of not all the contents being listed. eg when a label says No Added MSG, that does not mean that there is no MSG, as it may have been added in another factory as one of the components that is used in production, but does not need to be added to the label as it was not added to the finished product. this is whitewash and lies. we need TRUTH in labelling. How about some comments on this please?

16:22 Deanne Wooden
Despite this intricate discussion on labelling, the issues paper really does not include this issue at all! It is clearly stated that this is dealt with by the Blewett review - does this mean the National Food Plan will address labelling now?

16:22 George Biron Sunnybrae
Food needs to be grown, processed and distributed in a co operative model so that scales of ecconomy in research, farming and manufacture can give meaning to small to medium sized producers.If not they become slaves to the market demands of large multi national corporations.

16:23 Nicole
What impact does the supermarket generic branding have on food sustainability including agricultural industry?

16:24 Bob Phelps
Why are most products of novel food technologies unlabelled - GM; irradiation and nanotechnology; etc. - which have a limited history of safe use in the human food supply, some of which may be unsafe to eat?

16:24 Gillian Blair
Food irradiation is another matter. it has been proven that irradiated foods contain 2DCB which is a pre-carcinogen. not only this, but irradiation destroys the vitamins in fruit and vegetables. so we end up with irradiated food full of man made toxins that are lacking in vitamins. The government, by allowing this transformation of food to a harmful substance is showing no care for people's health.

16:26 MacarthurFutureFoodForum
Please don't limit food production only to farmers. There are many people and ways to grow food, they must all be included

16:27 Diane Mann
To consider carbon footprint of food production and identify how to reduce emissions need to look at whole product life cycle rather than just transport and food miles. See ABARE Food Miles and Carbon Labels report.

16:27 Bob Phelps GeneEthics
Why are some contributions to this dialogue not posted? If you are editing, why do you not declare this?

16:28 Sissel
Nicole, the majority of supermarket private label products are produced and imported from overseas

16:29 Christine
I agree land use planning is a major concern at all levels of government in regards to food supply and access. There are numerous regulatory barriers for urban agriculture. Changing land use legislation and planning provisions is a very slow process and needs to be considered in this plan as land use changes are needed now.

16:29 Jocelyn
How will the food plan address the impacts of the current supermarket duopoly on the viability of farming, and the retail industry as well as consumer choice?

16:29 Alexandra, YFMSydney
Will the National Food Plan be a policy based on equity and equality? The current system appears geared toward the supermarket duopoly, supporting industrial agricultural systems often to the detriment of small scale and locally based efforts.

16:29 George Biron Sunnybrae
George Biron

16:30 Gillian Blair
Why should Australia have to import foreign grown foods under pressure from the World Trade Organisation, when these foods are already grown here and the imports undercut the prices of locally grown products (as in the case of supermarket generic branding for example) and they are also a potential source of disease and pests in Australia?

16:30 Sue Mossman
Please do not limit growing of food to farmers, there are many other people involved in growing eg community supported acriculture,

16:31 Jane
Jocelyn, you need to look into the Senate Food Processing Inquiry that has just started. This Committee will be looking at all these issues.

16:32 Bob Phelps GeneEthics
Please post the rest of our contributions!