WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.420 Good morning everyone, that's better. 2 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:07.120 Thanks for braving the weather on Saturday morning, it was briefly okay. 3 00:00:07.780 --> 00:00:11.160 My name's Robin McDermott, I'm from the University of South Australia, 4 00:00:11.300 --> 00:00:13.480 we're one of the partners in this festival. 5 00:00:14.440 --> 00:00:18.200 It's my first time doing this and I've got to say what a pleasure it is. 6 00:00:18.860 --> 00:00:21.880 And it's also a pleasure to introduce Manny Noakes, 7 00:00:22.040 --> 00:00:27.700 who's put CSIRO on the map with the bestseller, not one but two. 8 00:00:29.700 --> 00:00:35.540 And continuing the food and obesity and sustainability theme of the festival, 9 00:00:36.380 --> 00:00:38.460 I'll hand it over to Manny. Thank you. 10 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:44.420 It's a pleasure to be here this morning. 11 00:00:44.480 --> 00:00:50.060 I must say this is really out of my comfort zone in terms of audiences to speak to 12 00:00:50.060 --> 00:00:53.940 and testimony to that is that I was insistent on having PowerPoint 13 00:00:53.940 --> 00:00:57.200 because my ideas are rather limited. 14 00:00:57.200 --> 00:00:59.120 I'm limited unless I've got technology behind me. 15 00:00:59.460 --> 00:01:05.360 I'm going to talk to you a little bit about some thoughts that I have around the obesity issue. 16 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:10.360 And just in case some of my ramblings don't make sense, 17 00:01:10.460 --> 00:01:17.960 I'll state at the outset that my basic framework and my basic thoughts are 18 00:01:17.960 --> 00:01:21.640 that to a large extent obesity is economically driven. 19 00:01:22.060 --> 00:01:25.640 We tend to focus very much on how much food is consumed 20 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:27.180 and how much exercise we do. 21 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:32.160 But I think sometimes we miss the real point of the complex system that we're in. 22 00:01:32.960 --> 00:01:38.320 And because it's economically driven and because the economy is also related 23 00:01:38.320 --> 00:01:42.120 to our health in other ways, we have to think of new ways 24 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:48.180 that we can make food economically acceptable to us 25 00:01:48.180 --> 00:01:50.460 without necessarily having an impact on our health. 26 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:54.420 And I think that's a challenge that we're going to face in the future. 27 00:01:54.600 --> 00:01:57.120 I also think that the notion of climate change, 28 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:00.340 is really in the same ilk of the obesity issue. 29 00:02:00.500 --> 00:02:02.240 They're both related to overconsumption 30 00:02:02.240 --> 00:02:06.440 and they both have similarities in how we've got to where we've got. 31 00:02:07.440 --> 00:02:10.620 Okay, the title of my talk was Going for Growth 32 00:02:10.620 --> 00:02:13.740 because going for growth is really the common catchphrase 33 00:02:13.740 --> 00:02:16.640 in a lot of economic documents. 34 00:02:16.980 --> 00:02:21.240 It's also something that a lot of companies obviously strive for 35 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:23.940 and it is the nature of economic development. 36 00:02:24.820 --> 00:02:27.180 Of course, this picture, which you actually can see, 37 00:02:27.200 --> 00:02:30.560 comes from one of those documents, is clearly just a metaphor. 38 00:02:32.320 --> 00:02:37.680 And it's an unusual one because in fact this is what we might think is important 39 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:41.820 and going for growth, but in fact from an industry perspective, 40 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:43.880 it's a rather different picture. 41 00:02:44.440 --> 00:02:48.940 And what's happened as we have gone for growth is 42 00:02:48.940 --> 00:02:55.040 that eating has become an activity that is not compartmentalised, 43 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:57.180 is not at a particular level. 44 00:02:57.180 --> 00:02:58.800 It's at a particular time of day or place. 45 00:03:00.660 --> 00:03:05.900 And you can eat food anywhere, anytime, in any part of the world. 46 00:03:06.020 --> 00:03:08.700 And certainly eating a lot of it is important. 47 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:13.760 And I suspect that we've gotten here because in the drive for innovation, 48 00:03:14.740 --> 00:03:20.540 industry has needed to look at ways that people can eat at more convenient times. 49 00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:25.900 And that to some extent has resulted in a culture of overeating. 50 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:32.920 So I think that some of where we've gotten to has been a result of that drive for growth, 51 00:03:33.040 --> 00:03:34.780 that drive for innovation in food. 52 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:40.300 And these are some more pictures of what is considered sometimes to be quite humorous, 53 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:45.440 but in fact has become an issue as a major health problem. 54 00:03:45.940 --> 00:03:50.140 So obesity is the consequence of going for growth in my opinion. 55 00:03:50.320 --> 00:03:54.480 And certainly our eating patterns have evolved. 56 00:03:54.480 --> 00:03:57.900 They've evolved from old cultures and traditions. 57 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:04.160 And they are now a part of new cultures and traditions that are fuelled by the economy. 58 00:04:04.320 --> 00:04:06.300 They're fuelled by technological change. 59 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:08.740 And basically we eat too much. 60 00:04:09.100 --> 00:04:13.540 And I like to think that science can provide some solutions. 61 00:04:13.640 --> 00:04:18.360 But I think that science is only one very, very small part of that. 62 00:04:18.520 --> 00:04:23.140 I think pointing out the situation as we have it and pointing 63 00:04:23.140 --> 00:04:24.460 to some solutions may help. 64 00:04:26.220 --> 00:04:28.120 Obesity is really a pervasive issue. 65 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:29.180 And I talk about obesity. 66 00:04:29.620 --> 00:04:33.240 But in fact when we talk about obesity people tend to think that's not me. 67 00:04:33.520 --> 00:04:34.240 It's not. 68 00:04:34.840 --> 00:04:36.180 It's someone else. 69 00:04:36.440 --> 00:04:41.920 And in fact considering that 60% of us fit into the category of overweight and obesity, 70 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:44.100 it affects a large proportion of us. 71 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:47.180 But it's quite easy to detach ourselves from the problem. 72 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:52.900 It's also pervasive when it comes to our pets. 73 00:04:53.140 --> 00:04:54.460 And clearly it can't be just a problem. 74 00:04:54.480 --> 00:05:02.300 It's a genetic issue because our pets are also suffering from the changes in the way 75 00:05:02.300 --> 00:05:02.920 that we live. 76 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:05.360 And again we tend to think that this is quite funny. 77 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:12.320 But in fact I'm sure that those pets are probably no less healthy or no more healthy than we 78 00:05:12.320 --> 00:05:13.700 are at those sorts of weights. 79 00:05:14.940 --> 00:05:17.200 Well we're looking at ideas for the future. 80 00:05:17.320 --> 00:05:22.120 And what's going to happen as we move towards the future? 81 00:05:22.220 --> 00:05:22.440 Well. 82 00:05:22.440 --> 00:05:28.540 We know from projections that coronary heart disease is going to be a major problem as 83 00:05:28.540 --> 00:05:29.420 we move forward. 84 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:32.640 And not just in developed countries but in the developing countries. 85 00:05:32.960 --> 00:05:36.000 And that will be fuelled by an increasing weight. 86 00:05:36.620 --> 00:05:39.720 And also the consequences of that is diabetes. 87 00:05:39.760 --> 00:05:42.140 And diabetes is growing at an alarming rate. 88 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:45.520 But depression is also going to be a major issue. 89 00:05:45.880 --> 00:05:48.820 And it's interesting to speculate on why that might be. 90 00:05:49.320 --> 00:05:51.500 Traffic accidents and strokes. 91 00:05:51.820 --> 00:05:52.420 So we're going to have to look at that. 92 00:05:52.420 --> 00:05:59.220 But the things that are likely to cause us the most disability are probably the things 93 00:05:59.220 --> 00:06:03.440 that relate to some extent to obesity to a large degree. 94 00:06:04.140 --> 00:06:06.740 How big a problem is it in Australia? 95 00:06:07.200 --> 00:06:11.520 Well essentially people who are a healthy weight are the minority. 96 00:06:11.780 --> 00:06:14.900 And people who are overweight or obese are the majority. 97 00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:17.980 So you can see that almost five million are overweight. 98 00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:19.280 These are adults. 99 00:06:19.480 --> 00:06:20.580 It doesn't include children. 100 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:22.400 And about a quarter of them are obese. 101 00:06:22.400 --> 00:06:23.700 And about two and a half million are obese. 102 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:29.260 And when we talk about children, about one in four children are overweight and obese. 103 00:06:29.540 --> 00:06:32.460 And the same applies to younger people. 104 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:36.080 And the rate of change in that group is what's most alarming. 105 00:06:36.220 --> 00:06:38.680 So it's the change that's really important. 106 00:06:38.980 --> 00:06:43.220 It's really happened over the last decade or two at a very fast rate. 107 00:06:44.100 --> 00:06:48.180 Well this is a document as I did my Google on going for growth. 108 00:06:48.380 --> 00:06:52.380 And this is the OECD economic policy report. 109 00:06:52.380 --> 00:06:57.580 And it was joined by Secretary Ross Harrold. 110 00:06:57.580 --> 00:06:57.640 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 111 00:06:57.900 --> 00:07:00.280 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 112 00:07:00.580 --> 00:07:01.800 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 113 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:02.160 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 114 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:03.400 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 115 00:07:03.400 --> 00:07:03.640 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 116 00:07:03.640 --> 00:07:03.720 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 117 00:07:03.720 --> 00:07:03.740 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 118 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:04.100 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 119 00:07:04.100 --> 00:07:05.700 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 120 00:07:05.820 --> 00:07:07.500 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 121 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:12.020 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 122 00:07:12.320 --> 00:07:16.120 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 123 00:07:16.280 --> 00:07:22.220 And it was joined by Secretary Harrold. 124 00:07:22.220 --> 00:07:26.540 And we think of, obviously, different disciplines think of things in different ways. 125 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:38.040 And the state of the economy is often thought to be, and obviously clearly is, a way of measuring well-being in a particular area of the world. 126 00:07:38.260 --> 00:07:41.560 And, of course, as nutritionists, we've always thought it was something else. 127 00:07:41.640 --> 00:07:46.840 It was what we eat and how much we exercise and our state of mind. 128 00:07:46.840 --> 00:07:52.840 So, obviously, we've got a lot to learn when we thought that we'd actually cornered the market. 129 00:07:52.900 --> 00:07:53.800 Obviously, not the case. 130 00:07:54.340 --> 00:07:55.060 All right. 131 00:07:55.240 --> 00:07:56.380 A bit more bad news. 132 00:07:56.600 --> 00:08:01.440 And diabetes in Australia is increasing, again, at an alarming rate. 133 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:15.000 The amazing fact, though, that is hardly ever promoted is the fact that a four-kilogram weight loss, if it's sustained over four years, can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. 134 00:08:15.640 --> 00:08:16.760 Now, when? 135 00:08:16.840 --> 00:08:30.280 When studies were published that demonstrated this, it was really, for those of us in the nutrition area, it was really quite, it was great news. 136 00:08:30.540 --> 00:08:34.740 It legitimized the role of dietary management and lifestyle change. 137 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:45.060 But the consequences of this in translating it into programs for the community, funding activities, really has stalled considerably. 138 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:46.160 And it's only recently. 139 00:08:46.840 --> 00:08:56.040 That government is putting more money into lifestyle programs to assist people to prevent the onset of a very, very debilitating disease. 140 00:08:57.000 --> 00:09:07.320 And part of the reason is that it's thought that lifestyle changes are not sustainable and that people, you know, won't eat differently for a sustained period of time. 141 00:09:07.820 --> 00:09:16.780 But at the same time, when it comes to pharmaceutical management, if we look at the data, we know that a large number of people stopped taking their medication, too. 142 00:09:16.840 --> 00:09:30.260 And yet we don't see the same sort of skepticism about taking pharmaceuticals as we do about following a particular plan of eating or exercise program. 143 00:09:30.740 --> 00:09:45.720 And so the pharmaceutical industry in general, obviously because they've got something to sell, have become, you know, the quick fix for many things in modern society to the detriment of the less expensive, 144 00:09:45.940 --> 00:09:46.640 the less. 145 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:52.740 The less technologically sophisticated approaches to lifestyle change. 146 00:09:53.300 --> 00:09:59.680 So we really need to start to look at how we can make lifestyle change easier for people. 147 00:09:59.740 --> 00:10:08.420 It is something that we have to work towards because, as we know for all of us, the environment around us makes it very difficult. 148 00:10:08.560 --> 00:10:13.000 And in fact, you cannot get away from food no matter where you turn. 149 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:15.260 I go to work in the morning sometimes. 150 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:16.600 I unfortunately. 151 00:10:16.840 --> 00:10:17.740 Well, not unfortunately. 152 00:10:17.880 --> 00:10:20.360 I'm still of the old school that drives. 153 00:10:20.560 --> 00:10:23.200 Some of my colleagues do cycle to work. 154 00:10:23.280 --> 00:10:27.080 But when I go and get my petrol, I'm surrounded by food on three flanks. 155 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:31.420 If I go to many other places, food is there. 156 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:37.980 So it is difficult to maintain a sensible pattern of eating, even for someone like me who knows it all. 157 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:39.680 It is extremely difficult. 158 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:41.680 All right. 159 00:10:41.740 --> 00:10:46.480 What is the consequence of not addressing these sorts of issues? 160 00:10:46.480 --> 00:11:00.740 Well, I think that the government is looking at the issues around lifestyle management now and looking at ways that we can change our environment and change the culture of eating so that it will make our future far rosier than it is at the moment. 161 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:09.320 What will happen is that the amount of money that's been spent on keeping us well is going to increase astronomically. 162 00:11:09.540 --> 00:11:16.280 And essentially, if we want the government to fund it. 163 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:18.280 It will be passed on to us as taxpayers. 164 00:11:18.640 --> 00:11:24.140 And there will be a limit to how much we as taxpayers will be able to meet those needs. 165 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:25.760 And we're already seeing evidence of that. 166 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:29.640 And essentially, a larger share will be passed on to us. 167 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:41.300 So I see the development of a lot of activities in the community, a lot of businesses that will, in fact, provide people with health maintenance, health improvement programs. 168 00:11:41.820 --> 00:11:43.900 And that's probably a good thing. 169 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:45.980 Because unless the number of goods. 170 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:58.260 services that are important for health outweigh the number of goods and services that are detrimental to health, we really are not going to make much progress in this area. 171 00:11:58.380 --> 00:12:00.740 And we're going to be a very unwell nation. 172 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:14.120 And in fact, as a baby boomer, no doubt it's possible that my children will be more debilitated than I will be as we move through over the next few decades. 173 00:12:14.920 --> 00:12:16.460 Well, what is this? 174 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:17.360 That food environment? 175 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:23.820 And what is it that is growing and is growing to the detriment of our health? 176 00:12:24.040 --> 00:12:27.720 And it's always easy to point the finger at one thing. 177 00:12:27.720 --> 00:12:28.720 And it never is that. 178 00:12:28.900 --> 00:12:45.600 And although I'm focusing here on things like soft drinks, this is really just the most evident and the one area where we know that there is quite a significant link between caloric beverage consumption and weight gain. 179 00:12:47.060 --> 00:12:50.520 And again, here we see the industry as such. 180 00:12:50.640 --> 00:12:56.280 In other words, the soft drink industry is an industry where there is increasing employment. 181 00:12:56.440 --> 00:13:06.300 It has increased profits, lots of turnover, high profit margins, largest sector value added, highest value added per employee, highest growth in exports. 182 00:13:06.680 --> 00:13:12.140 So if you're a government, obviously you're going to be receiving quite a lot of tax dollars from this industry. 183 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:16.300 And you don't necessarily want to completely collapse an industry. 184 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:16.460 And that's why we're here today. 185 00:13:16.460 --> 00:13:21.940 Because obviously people will be out of work, out of jobs, and the economy is also going to falter. 186 00:13:22.180 --> 00:13:34.580 So the challenge that we have, and many companies are facing this now, is how do we morph these products into products that are potentially of greater benefit to one's health? 187 00:13:34.740 --> 00:13:39.280 And the various ways that we meet those challenges is going to be important. 188 00:13:39.420 --> 00:13:46.340 Because there may well be ways that might seem to be on the surface quite a sensible strategy. 189 00:13:46.460 --> 00:13:48.760 But in reality, will probably make no difference. 190 00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:55.920 For example, if all of these drinks were replaced with juice, we would absolutely see no real difference. 191 00:13:55.960 --> 00:13:59.100 And the impact on health will be very much the same. 192 00:13:59.580 --> 00:14:05.460 And so we have to think fairly carefully about how this happens. 193 00:14:05.700 --> 00:14:16.120 And one of the areas that I'm involved in through the organization that I work for is at least talking to industry, working with them in ways that we believe. 194 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:18.300 And that is to be able to tell people that they're going to be impacted by health outcomes. 195 00:14:18.300 --> 00:14:19.580 And that is to be able to tell people that they're going to be impacted by health outcomes. 196 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:22.640 And that is to be able to tell people that they're going to be impacted by health outcomes. 197 00:14:23.220 --> 00:14:25.440 And that is to be able to tell people that they're going to be impacted by health outcomes. 198 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:26.920 And that is to be able to tell people that they're going to be impacted by health outcomes. 199 00:14:26.920 --> 00:14:27.060 And that is to be able to tell people that they're going to be impacted by health outcomes. 200 00:14:27.060 --> 00:14:27.620 And that is to be able to tell people that they're going to be impacted by health outcomes. 201 00:14:27.620 --> 00:14:29.060 And that is to be able to tell people that they're going to be impacted by health outcomes. 202 00:14:30.100 --> 00:14:36.740 And that is to be able to tell people that they're going to be impacted by health outcomes. 203 00:14:36.740 --> 00:14:46.440 And that is to be able to tell people that they're going to be impacted by health outcomes. 204 00:14:46.440 --> 00:14:52.640 and that it's an economy that we've got to shift from one set of goods and services to another 205 00:14:52.640 --> 00:14:56.160 rather than completely squashing one part of the economy. 206 00:14:56.260 --> 00:15:01.900 I think that it makes more sense to try and work with industry to be part of the solution. 207 00:15:02.920 --> 00:15:04.360 This is the same thing in Australia. 208 00:15:04.760 --> 00:15:08.120 Our top-selling items are certainly soft drinks. 209 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:13.460 And, of course, although we're involved in national nutrition surveys at the moment, 210 00:15:13.460 --> 00:15:17.800 you can really tell what consumers are eating by what's in the supermarket. 211 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:21.880 And, by and large, the variety of foods has increased dramatically 212 00:15:21.880 --> 00:15:26.820 and the number of aisles that are devoted to foods that are probably indulgence foods 213 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:32.560 far exceeds the number of areas where foods are more nutritious. 214 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:35.400 And, in fact, they're expanding. 215 00:15:35.800 --> 00:15:42.360 The way that you can sell more is to have more of these popular products in more lanes. 216 00:15:42.580 --> 00:15:43.320 And so, obviously, 217 00:15:43.460 --> 00:15:48.700 the science of marketing is fairly clever in being able to position these products 218 00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:52.360 knowing that, in doing so, more can be sold. 219 00:15:52.560 --> 00:15:58.500 How can we use this information to promote healthier products, I think, is challenging. 220 00:15:58.820 --> 00:16:05.260 And, indeed, industry is not going to be able to do it alone without consumer push, 221 00:16:05.500 --> 00:16:10.760 and that is that there needs to be a demand that is also fuelled by us as consumers 222 00:16:10.760 --> 00:16:13.120 before any change can occur. 223 00:16:13.460 --> 00:16:19.240 So, getting back to the things that being overweight can contribute to, 224 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:21.800 I mentioned the effect on the health system. 225 00:16:22.160 --> 00:16:24.640 It really is very, very many things. 226 00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:31.560 We tend to underestimate how much extra body weight really does contribute to our health. 227 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:34.980 And sometimes we tend to think of being overweight as just an aesthetic issue 228 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:38.720 and something that is not a major problem. 229 00:16:38.940 --> 00:16:41.480 But the impact, particularly as we get older, 230 00:16:41.620 --> 00:16:43.440 on things like weight gain, 231 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:44.660 like osteoarthritis, 232 00:16:44.700 --> 00:16:47.000 on sleep apnea, 233 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:50.980 even cancer, which we tend not to necessarily link with obesity, 234 00:16:51.180 --> 00:16:52.400 they are certainly related. 235 00:16:52.660 --> 00:16:55.180 They may not be responsible for all of the health problems, 236 00:16:55.280 --> 00:16:57.920 but they certainly make many, many health problems worse. 237 00:16:58.280 --> 00:17:03.460 And so, having programs where these particular diseases, 238 00:17:03.640 --> 00:17:05.880 when people present with these problems, 239 00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:11.020 having lifestyle programs that accompany whatever management is required 240 00:17:11.020 --> 00:17:13.120 for these sorts of problems is important. 241 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:13.660 And so, we need to think about how we can help people 242 00:17:13.660 --> 00:17:18.620 as well as programs that might assist in preventing some of these problems in the first place. 243 00:17:19.360 --> 00:17:22.420 Getting back to food, growth in food retailing, 244 00:17:22.440 --> 00:17:24.420 are we really eating more? 245 00:17:24.560 --> 00:17:27.120 And some people might be sceptical and say, 246 00:17:27.220 --> 00:17:29.200 well, you know, we're just exercising less. 247 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:33.520 But if you look at how much has happened in the growth of food retailing, 248 00:17:33.540 --> 00:17:35.280 obviously this is just a dollar value, 249 00:17:35.360 --> 00:17:38.340 so it doesn't necessarily represent calories consumed, 250 00:17:38.620 --> 00:17:42.040 but certainly there is evidence from surveys that we are in fact eating more, 251 00:17:42.080 --> 00:17:43.420 and we are eating more food. 252 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:43.660 So, we have to accept that. 253 00:17:43.660 --> 00:17:44.380 We have to accept that we're eating more foods away from home. 254 00:17:44.500 --> 00:17:48.460 That's an obvious trend, and that's a trend that is not going to go away, 255 00:17:48.500 --> 00:17:49.560 and we have to accept that. 256 00:17:50.120 --> 00:17:54.060 So, Australian food and liquor retailing, $88.7 billion. 257 00:17:54.580 --> 00:18:02.660 That is a lot of money, and it's an area that obviously we can't necessarily bury our head in the sand 258 00:18:02.660 --> 00:18:04.060 and think that's all going to go away. 259 00:18:04.360 --> 00:18:09.060 62% is spent in supermarkets, 13% in cafes and restaurants, 260 00:18:09.380 --> 00:18:11.300 10% in takeaway food outlets, 261 00:18:11.560 --> 00:18:13.420 6% in liquor retailing, 262 00:18:13.420 --> 00:18:13.800 and 10% in retailing. 263 00:18:13.820 --> 00:18:16.760 So, that figure is no doubt going to change. 264 00:18:16.940 --> 00:18:21.420 Probably the amount that is spent in cafes and restaurants is likely to increase, 265 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:25.140 and we have to think of creative ways of dealing with this 266 00:18:25.140 --> 00:18:29.140 and making sure that foods and healthier foods are available. 267 00:18:29.420 --> 00:18:33.660 I left work fairly late one night last week 268 00:18:33.660 --> 00:18:38.480 and was in a situation where I had to buy something that was a takeaway food, 269 00:18:38.620 --> 00:18:41.520 and I struggled to find something that was vaguely healthy. 270 00:18:41.600 --> 00:18:42.880 When I did eventually, 271 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:45.420 find something that I thought was reasonable, 272 00:18:45.580 --> 00:18:50.260 it really wasn't quite what met my nutritional expectations. 273 00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:53.840 So, there are many, many more opportunities, 274 00:18:54.020 --> 00:18:58.640 and I think the lunchtime segment is well catered for, 275 00:18:58.760 --> 00:19:03.180 but evening meals for many people are probably not particularly well catered for. 276 00:19:04.740 --> 00:19:10.280 Food products, $71.8 billion worth of food products sold in retail outlets in Australia. 277 00:19:11.160 --> 00:19:12.160 Ten years. 278 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:13.280 In the last ten years, 279 00:19:13.380 --> 00:19:17.520 the food retail sector has grown at an average of 5.8% per annum. 280 00:19:17.620 --> 00:19:20.400 And these sorts of growth figures are not inconsistent 281 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:24.800 with some of the rising rates in our weight over time as well. 282 00:19:25.020 --> 00:19:26.500 So, are we eating more? 283 00:19:26.580 --> 00:19:28.620 The answer to that is most definitely yes. 284 00:19:29.340 --> 00:19:31.220 And why are we eating more? 285 00:19:31.360 --> 00:19:34.760 Well, apart from the fact that positioning of food 286 00:19:34.760 --> 00:19:37.300 and marketing of food may assist us, 287 00:19:37.320 --> 00:19:38.920 although that's clearly been challenged, 288 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:42.140 what we do know from some of the science that's been conducted, 289 00:19:42.140 --> 00:19:43.140 on food intake, 290 00:19:43.300 --> 00:19:45.920 is that the more variety there is in food, 291 00:19:46.040 --> 00:19:47.380 exposure to food, 292 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:48.760 the more foods you're going to eat. 293 00:19:48.900 --> 00:19:50.740 You will eat more at a smorgasbord 294 00:19:50.740 --> 00:19:53.540 than you will eat at an a la carte restaurant, 295 00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:56.280 just by the fact that the sheer variety is more. 296 00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:58.840 And if there is one thing that has really changed 297 00:19:58.840 --> 00:20:00.480 over the last few decades, 298 00:20:00.540 --> 00:20:02.920 is the sheer diversity of food, 299 00:20:03.020 --> 00:20:04.100 not just healthy food, 300 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:08.820 but many, many foods that don't necessarily provide a lot of nourishment. 301 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:11.580 And whilst I don't think those foods need to be, 302 00:20:11.580 --> 00:20:12.020 you know, 303 00:20:12.020 --> 00:20:13.180 be avoided at all costs, 304 00:20:13.340 --> 00:20:15.040 it is the proportion that's important. 305 00:20:15.360 --> 00:20:18.460 The proportion and the portion are both important. 306 00:20:19.020 --> 00:20:21.980 And I think that, you know, 307 00:20:21.980 --> 00:20:23.100 this is something that, again, 308 00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:25.980 is driven by the going for growth mentality. 309 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:32.580 Flicking back again to overweight in this country, 310 00:20:32.700 --> 00:20:34.920 and that is that, do we really think, 311 00:20:35.080 --> 00:20:39.440 I sometimes think that I'm talking to people who already know it all, 312 00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:41.140 and I'm sure that that's probably true 313 00:20:41.580 --> 00:20:41.760 for this audience. 314 00:20:42.560 --> 00:20:45.520 But what is really interesting is that you would think most people 315 00:20:45.520 --> 00:20:47.280 would have a reasonable level of awareness, 316 00:20:47.840 --> 00:20:49.860 even though they may not do something, 317 00:20:49.960 --> 00:20:52.840 or they may not be at that point where they want to change now, 318 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:57.360 you would think most people would have a fair idea 319 00:20:57.360 --> 00:20:58.680 if they're overweight or not. 320 00:20:58.900 --> 00:21:01.640 But in fact, what we see is that 40% of men 321 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:05.160 who are overweight or obese think that their weight is fine, 322 00:21:05.420 --> 00:21:09.280 and 13% of women think that their weight is fine, 323 00:21:09.420 --> 00:21:11.160 even though they're overweight or obese. 324 00:21:11.580 --> 00:21:15.600 So there is that sense of we do bury our heads in the sand quite a bit. 325 00:21:15.660 --> 00:21:19.600 We don't necessarily appreciate what our state of health is. 326 00:21:19.760 --> 00:21:22.000 And how can we get people to that point 327 00:21:22.580 --> 00:21:26.660 without increasing anxiety levels to the point where they do nothing? 328 00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:31.020 And I suspect that we probably have been pussyfooting around quite a bit 329 00:21:31.020 --> 00:21:32.360 around weight issues, 330 00:21:32.520 --> 00:21:34.720 and I think that the confrontation issue 331 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:41.560 is really quite an important step towards making a change in balance. 332 00:21:41.580 --> 00:21:46.260 Now, this is not really meant to be a sexist cartoon, 333 00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:49.280 but it kind of reinforces in part 334 00:21:49.280 --> 00:21:52.920 what we said in the previous slide, 335 00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:57.700 that generally men think that their weight is fine, 336 00:21:57.880 --> 00:21:59.260 even though they're overweight, 337 00:21:59.420 --> 00:22:03.540 and women generally have a better appreciation of their weight. 338 00:22:03.800 --> 00:22:07.400 Probably the point that I'd like to make about this 339 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:11.180 is not the fact that there is a difference so much 340 00:22:11.180 --> 00:22:11.560 between men and women. 341 00:22:11.580 --> 00:22:13.780 men and women and how they perceive their weight, 342 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:17.020 but the fact that women in the next few decades 343 00:22:17.020 --> 00:22:18.740 present a massive opportunity 344 00:22:18.740 --> 00:22:22.980 to develop new ideas in the food sector 345 00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:26.020 because they will be in a position 346 00:22:26.020 --> 00:22:28.900 through the role of the internet 347 00:22:28.900 --> 00:22:32.120 to develop new businesses, products and services 348 00:22:32.120 --> 00:22:36.180 from a base of having a very grassroots understanding 349 00:22:36.180 --> 00:22:37.720 of some of the real needs 350 00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:42.580 that may assist parents and families improve eating habits. 351 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:44.460 So I think that, in general, 352 00:22:44.560 --> 00:22:48.220 we will see an increase in the role of women 353 00:22:48.220 --> 00:22:50.280 and their involvement with food 354 00:22:50.280 --> 00:22:53.620 at a level where they have more control than they do at the moment 355 00:22:53.620 --> 00:22:54.760 because, to a large extent, 356 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:59.860 the food industry is driven by the male sector 357 00:22:59.860 --> 00:23:05.980 and I think that a greater involvement of women in the food area 358 00:23:05.980 --> 00:23:07.020 is going to make... 359 00:23:07.020 --> 00:23:07.700 ..a very... 360 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:08.540 ..a very, very large difference. 361 00:23:09.900 --> 00:23:12.240 Now, everybody has got their own ideas 362 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:14.180 about what constitutes healthy eating 363 00:23:14.180 --> 00:23:17.600 and no doubt many of you will have your own personal beliefs as well. 364 00:23:18.680 --> 00:23:22.440 And coming from a science background, I suppose, 365 00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:24.440 I do like to be objective, 366 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:26.840 as much as we can be objective, of course. 367 00:23:26.860 --> 00:23:29.040 We all have our own particular biases. 368 00:23:29.540 --> 00:23:33.380 But in the area of nutrition, so much is personal belief 369 00:23:33.380 --> 00:23:35.960 and it is always challenging 370 00:23:36.520 --> 00:23:37.700 in speaking to people about their personal beliefs. 371 00:23:37.720 --> 00:23:37.900 And so I think that's a very important thing 372 00:23:37.900 --> 00:23:39.200 to a wide variety of people, 373 00:23:39.320 --> 00:23:42.240 trying to appreciate those different perspectives 374 00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:45.240 and trying to present the science perspective. 375 00:23:45.540 --> 00:23:48.660 And I'm not suggesting that people's own perspectives are irrelevant. 376 00:23:48.900 --> 00:23:49.540 They are not. 377 00:23:49.880 --> 00:23:52.760 But I guess what I'm saying to you is my perspective 378 00:23:52.760 --> 00:23:56.840 is one that is driven by looking at the data 379 00:23:56.840 --> 00:23:58.760 and seeing what we know 380 00:23:58.760 --> 00:24:01.080 and at least seeing what we know at this point in time 381 00:24:01.080 --> 00:24:02.520 because we certainly don't know everything. 382 00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:06.920 From the point of view of what constitutes healthy eating, 383 00:24:07.020 --> 00:24:07.700 I think one is... 384 00:24:07.700 --> 00:24:10.620 An example of that might be described by these slides, 385 00:24:10.820 --> 00:24:13.080 which represents the eating plan 386 00:24:13.080 --> 00:24:17.120 that is depicted in the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, 387 00:24:17.260 --> 00:24:18.700 which is essentially for weight management. 388 00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:21.260 Clearly, it's not the only approach to weight management. 389 00:24:21.360 --> 00:24:23.680 It's certainly one that we've done quite a lot of research in. 390 00:24:24.140 --> 00:24:26.440 But there are a variety of ways. 391 00:24:26.540 --> 00:24:30.720 And this is an approach that is probably somewhat consistent 392 00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:32.880 with Australian eating culture, 393 00:24:33.060 --> 00:24:34.660 at least not too far from it, 394 00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:37.680 but at least far enough away from what it is presently 395 00:24:37.700 --> 00:24:38.660 to improve health. 396 00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:41.040 Obviously, eating breakfast is important. 397 00:24:41.320 --> 00:24:42.780 We know that people who eat breakfast 398 00:24:42.780 --> 00:24:45.460 are less likely to become overweight. 399 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:49.660 And so it appears that having some sort of structured approach to eating 400 00:24:49.660 --> 00:24:52.740 can help maintain weight loss over the long term. 401 00:24:52.860 --> 00:24:55.200