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The Victorian Food
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NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF FOOD
Australia has one of the safest food supplies in the world and produces food of outstanding nutritional quality. Consumer surveys show that these attributes can, and are being used by Australian growers and manufacturers to gain a powerful marketing advantage.
Continuing to increase the range of foods of high nutritional quality gives consumers many opportunities to select a healthy mix of foods, taste, aesthetic appeal, and nutritional quality need to be maintained to ensure consumption, enjoyment and economic return. This will lead to continued supply of healthy food choices.
The maintenance of the nutritional integrity of food needs to be ensured through careful handling, storage, processing, and distribution from the farm-gate to the plate. There are also beneficial non-nutrient substances in food which need to be preserved.
The important role that hospitality, community and welfare organisations play in providing healthy food choices to the community also needs to be recognised and supported.
Nutritional Goal:
To support efforts within the food supply system which improve the nutritional quality of the diet and maintain the safety of the food system.
The key issues which need to be addressed are :
Consumer Perceptions about the safety and nutritional value of food.
Support for Food Industry Initiatives which increase access to healthy
food.
The Priorities for Action are:
- To publicise and promote to consumers the high quality and safety of locally produced food;
- To encourage food producer groups, processors and retailers to contribute, through their marketing strategies, to the promotion of healthy eating habits;
- To support initiatives which promote the growing, distribution and marketing of fresh foods;
- To facilitate the development of guidelines and/or voluntary codes of practice for nutrition in private and public community food service facilities which are responsible for providing healthy food choices to the Victorian public.
