Immigration the key to Australia's nutrition success
3 November, 2000
Australians are doing well in some respects as far as nutrition goes, but more by accident than design, according to Professor Mark Wahlqvist, Professor of Medicine at Monash University and President-Elect of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences.
Professor Wahlqvist was the keynote speaker at a conference on Food Integrity held in Canberra last week by Avcare, the National Association for Crop Production and Animal Health.
Immigration
'Australia’s success is due to immigration, which has brought with it the diversification of our food supply. Thanks to the Mediterranean and Asian influence, we have been introduced to a wide variety of foods that are also very good for us,' he said.
'Australia has a great food culture. There are advantages in fusing cultures, but this fusion of food must become sustainable. We must maintain biodiversity to ensure supplies of fresh produce, meat and fish. This means forging closer ties and keeping ourselves informed in the areas of agriculture, horticulture and fisheries.
'As consumers, I find we are becoming much more aware of food safety. We know, and are asking, about issues such as pesticide residues, genetic modification and antibiotic resistance,' he added.
Professor Wahlqvist said that in the past 10 – 15 years we have identified more and more reasons why food is so important. His Asia Pacific Health and Nutrition Centre at Monash was one of the first to discuss the role of food in menopause, for example, the phyto-oestrogens. These are big issues, he said as people now know that food determines, and impacts on, the immune system and how you age.
Food and skin health
'Here at the Centre, we are involved in research into food and skin health, and in fact, have 2 research papers in progress. We have found that eating the right food contributes to 20-30% of skin health.
Agriculture and the medical industry
Professor Wahlqvist also sounded a note of warning. 'In working with the food chain, we must ask – is this sustainable? Ethical? What does this do to this particular culture? Have we addressed the nutritional side?
'Doctors must also become more involved in nutrition. Faculties of Medicine need to collaborate closer with agriculture – there are many matters to address and a need to work together across various disciplines and boundaries. Many are not aware of the power of food change, e.g. the research into the Mediterranean diet – there were massive positive changes, and I’m not talking about big changes in diet, just eat more fish and fruit, particularly men,' he concluded.
Avcare welcomed Professor Wahlqvist’s statement, saying that the medical industry is a valuable tool for scientists, agri-business companies and consumers.
‘To know the health benefits of any method of farming is a strong step forward, and participation from the medical industry in terms of agricultural production would be a valuable and strategic alliance,’ the spokesperson said.
Last Reviewed: 03 November 2000
