Healthy food systems

We believe that ensuring sufficient, safe, ethical and nutritious food that meets the requirements of current and future generations without destroying biodiversity and natural ecosystems is one of the world’s greatest challenges. Our objective is to implement research that supports access to optimal food and nutrition as central to individual wellbeing, healthy communities and a healthy planet.

Our team studies challenges to nutrition, diversity and safety from all angles, with the ultimate goal of providing good nutrition through well-managed food systems in sustainable urban and rural environments.

Our current research projects include:

• implementing participatory, nutrition-sensitive and gender-sensitive interdisciplinary research projects in southeast Asia, the Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa and Australia
• collaborating with the public and private sector and civil society partners globally
• mentoring interdisciplinary cohorts of graduate students from Australia and partner countries.

We provide data and informed advice based on research regarding good nutrition, its production and delivery and the interrelationships between male and female farmers, gatherers, traders, agricultural, environmental and public health regulators, consumers and policymakers. We support policies for ecologically sustainable food systems that deliver, safe, ethical, feasible and healthy diets in Australia and other countries. Our research has contributed to improved evidence-based interdisciplinary research, policy environments and better practices and actions in line with our vision.

Internal collaborators

• Professor Robyn Alders
• Professor Margaret Allman-Farinelli
• Dr Sinead Boylan (Project Node Leader)
• Julia de Bruyn
• Emeritus Professor Les Copeland
• Dr Luke Craven
• Professor Michael Dibley
• Professor Timothy Gill
• Associate Professor Brian Jones
• Associate Professor Adam Kamradt-Scott
• Professor Mu Li
• Dr Alana Mann
• Professor Robyn McConchie
• Professor Benjamin Oldroyd
• Cormac O’Shea
• Professor Robert Park
• Professor Bill Pritchard
• Professor Elspeth Probyn
• Professor David Raubenheimer
• Professor Vitali Sintchenko
• Dr Darryl Stellmach
• Dr Anne-Marie Thow
• Associate Professor Jenny-Ann Toribio

External collaborators

• Dr Brigitte Bagnol, University of the Witwatersrand
• Gianna Bonis-Profumo, Barilla Centre for Food and Nutrition
• Dr Susan Caves, University of Newcastle
• Julian Cribb, Julian Cribb & Associates
• Dr Peter Daniels, Independent Consultant
• Associate Professor Jane Dixon, Australian National University
• Heather Grieve, Independent Consultant
• Dr Nicoline de Haan, Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
• Danny Hunter, Bioversity International
• Alexandra Iljadica, Youth Food Movement
• Professor Richard Kock, University of London
• Dr Ro McFarlane, University of Canberra
• Kelly McJannett, Food Ladder
• Associate Professor Leanne Piggott, Centre for Social Impact
• Professor Jonathan Rushton, University of London
• Dr Deborah Schlichting, Independent Consultant