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Purpose
Access to sufficient, affordable nutritious food is important for the health of rural and remote communities. With the recent bush fires, floods and now the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional supply chains have been interrupted and rural and remote communities that are already at risk of food insecurity, are being impacted even further.
This virtual discussion will provide a range of perspectives on current challenges in ensuring food security for households in rural and remote communities, including from an Indigenous health perspective. It will also consider policy and practical solutions that will address the issue well into the future.
On the occasion of the Extraordinary G20 Agriculture Minister's Meeting (21 April 2020), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Bank and the World Food Programme (WFP) issued the following Joint Statement on COVID-19 Impacts on Food Security and Nutrition:
"The COVID-19 pandemic has led to dramatic loss of human life across the world and presents an unprecedented challenge with deep social and economic consequences, including compromising food security and nutrition.
The pandemic is already affecting the entire food system. Restrictions on movement within and across countries can hinder food-related logistic services, disrupt entire food supply chains and affect the availability of food. Impacts on the movement of agricultural labor and on the supply of inputs will soon pose critical challenges to food production, thus jeopardizing food security for all people, and hit especially hard people living in the poorest countries. …”
Who should attend
This discussion will be of interest to anyone with an interest in food security, nutrition or the health of people in rural and remote communities in Australia. It is suitable for policy makers, academics, health practitioners, health consumers and students.
Panellists
Professor Danielle Gallegos
Chair, Woolworths Centre for Child Nutrition
Faculty of Health, School - Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology
Bio
Danielle Gallegos is the Chair of the Woolworths Centre for Child Nutrition funded by the Queensland Children’s Hospital Foundation. She has over thirty years of experience as a practicing dietitian with fifteen of those as a public health nutritionist and ten years in academia.
Danielle has built a research portfolio that emphasises qualitative methodologies in areas related to social justice and the evaluation of nutrition/physical activity programs. Her main area of research interest focuses on household food security and early infant feeding.
Summary
Danielle will discuss prevalence rates of household food insecurity, the underlying causes and how these impact on rural communities, in particular the role of income and income assistance to ensure people can afford to put nutritious food on the table.
Ms Ronni Kahn AO
Chief Executive Officer and Founder, OzHarvest
Bio
Ronni Kahn AO founded OzHarvest in 2004, driven by a passion to make a difference and stop good food going to waste; she started with one van in Sydney. After changing the law to make it safe for companies to donate surplus food, she has grown OzHarvest to be Australia’s leading food rescue organisation, opened the first rescued food supermarket and has taken the unique food rescue model global.
Ronni is a powerhouse in the fight against global food waste. OzHarvest partners annually with the United Nations Environment Programme to raise awareness on the issue and is working with Government and key stakeholders to halve food waste nationally by 2030. The ripple effect of her commitment is fuelling action across the globe.
Summary
Ronni will discuss the role of OzHarvest in reducing hunger and how it provides food relief to people in rural and regional Australia via their mobile markets. Ronni will also discuss OzHarvest’s focus on reducing food waste and improving food literacy through its educational programs.
Dr Josie Douglas
Executive Manager, Policy and Governance, Central Land Council, Alice Springs, NT
Bio:
Josie Douglas, leads the council’s advocacy and research across policy areas ranging from land rights, remote housing and education to constitutional reform and treaty.
Josie has worked in community controlled organisations and held senior research positions at the CSIRO and the Charles Darwin University.
In 2017, she was awarded the WH Stanner Award for her PhD research on young people and intergenerational transmission and acquisition of ecological knowledge.
Josie is descended from the Wardaman people whose traditional lands lie to the south-west of Katherine in the Northern Territory and has lived and worked on the lands of Arrernte people in Alice Springs since 1991.
Summary
Josie will discuss her policy work in helping to drive systemic change to improve food security for those in rural and remote communities.
Ms Khia de Silva
Health and Nutrition Manager, Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation, NT
Bio
Khia De Silva is the Nutrition Manager at Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation where she supports the implementation of the ALPA Health and Nutrition Strategy across 25 remote community stores in Northern Territory and North Queensland.
The strategy aims to improve the availability and affordability of healthy foods and drinks and support customers to make healthier choices, through modified merchandising practices and in-store education programs.
ALPA have collaborated with researchers from various institutions to explore new ways to improve the health of ALPA’s customers.
Prior to ALPA, Khia worked as a remote Public Health Nutritionist with the Top End Health Services (TEHS) – where she had a big focus on improving the food supply through school meal programs, creches, aged cares and remote stores.
Her passion for improving remote food environments started as a clinical outreach dietitian. The downstream clinical approach was not helping patients overcome the significant barriers preventing them from eating a healthy diet.
Summary
Khia will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the remote food supply and the consequences for affordability. She will also present Healthy Stores 2020, a randomised control trial which adapted traditional merchandising strategies to support customers to make healthier food purchases, and reduce discretionary food purchases. This NHMRC funded study successfully resulted in less sugar sold through remote community stores. It was co-designed by ALPA, Monash University, Menzies School of Health Research and other researchers.
Facilitated by:
Dr Gabrielle O’Kane
Dietitian, and Chief Executive Officer
National Rural Health Alliance
Bio
Gabrielle O’Kane is the CEO of the National Rural Health Alliance and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Canberra and Charles Sturt University. She is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian with 35-plus years working in rural and regional private and public practice in NSW and is also an academic and researcher.
Prior to joining the Alliance, she was responsible for commissioning and governing drug and alcohol services for the South East NSW Primary Health Network, Coordinaire.
Program
Monday, 29 June 2020
11.45 am Dial in
12.00 pm Welcome to Country, Ms Matilda House, Ngunnawal Elder
12.05 pm Dr Gabrielle O’Kane
Introduction
12.10 pm Professor Danielle Gallegos
Chair, Woolworths Centre for Child Nutrition
Faculty of Health, School - Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, QUT
Danielle will discuss prevalence rates of household food insecurity, the underlying causes and how these impact on rural communities, in particular the role of income and income assistance to ensure people can afford to put nutritious food on the table.
12.20 pm Ms Ronni Kahn AO
Chief Executive Officer and Founder, OzHarvest
Ronni will discuss the role of OzHarvest in reducing hunger and how it provides food relief to people in rural and regional Australia via their mobile markets. Ronni will also discuss OzHarvest’s focus on reducing food waste and improving food literacy through its educational programsRonni will discuss the role of OzHarvest in reducing hunger and their plans for mobile vans in rural areas.
.12.30 pm Dr Josie Douglas
Executive Manager, Policy and Governance, Central Land Council, Alice Springs, NT
Josie will discuss her policy work in helping to drive systemic change to improve food security for those in rural and remote communities.
12.40 pm Ms Khia de Silva
Health and Nutrition Manager, Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation, NT
Khia will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the remote food supply and the consequences for affordability. She will also present Healthy Stores 2020, a randomised control trial which adapted traditional merchandising strategies to support customers to make healthier food purchases, and reduce discretionary food purchases. This NHMRC funded study successfully resulted in less sugar sold through remote community stores. It was co-designed by ALPA, Monash University, Menzies School of Health Research and other researchers.
12.50 pm Discussion and Q&A
1.30 pm Close