National Food Plan Home

The Australian Government is developing Australia's first ever national food plan to help ensure that the government's policy settings are right for Australia over the short, medium and long-term.

The aim of the national food plan is to foster a sustainable, globally competitive, resilient food supply that supports access to nutritious and affordable food. To achieve this outcome the government proposes to focus on the following objectives, helping the government better integrate what it already does and help identify if and where a better approach might be needed.

• Identify and mitigate potential risks to Australia's food security
• Contribute to global food security
• Reduce barriers to a safe and nutritious food supply that responds to the evolving preferences and needs of all Australians and supports population health
• Maintain and improve the natural resource base underpinning food production in Australia
• Support the global competitiveness and productivity growth of the food supply chain, including through research, science and innovation
• Reduce barriers faced by food businesses to access international and domestic markets
• Contribute to economic prosperity, employment and community wellbeing in regional Australia.

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator the Hon. Joe Ludwig, is leading this initiative, and is working closely with relevant ministerial colleagues to ensure a whole-of-government approach to the development of the plan.

The government has also established strong collaborative arrangements between departments to ensure a coordinated approach to consultation and development of the national food plan and is using existing mechanisms to engage with state and territory governments. Further sources of advice are being drawn upon, including the Food Policy Working Group and the Food Processing Industry Strategy Group.