Introduction: Australian supermarkets have unprecedented and disproportionate power in the food system. Most Australians buy most of their food from just two supermarket chains demonstrating their influence over access to affordable, safe, nutritious food. Recently Australian supermarkets have experienced political scrutiny, including over their pricing and promotion practices. This study examines prevalence of price promotions, i.e. temporary reductions in price, for Australian supermarket own brand foods (SOBF) and use of price promotion messages.

Methods: Photographic audits were conducted in the three major supermarket chains present in Perth, Western Australia in 2017. Information from all SOBF present was collected including from front-of-pack (e.g., product name) and shelf label (i.e., standard price, promoted price, promotion message). Products were categorised by nutritional quality. Presence of price promotions were identified, and messages classified. Descriptive statistics summarised prevalence of price promotions and price promotion messages, and corresponding nutritional quality.

Results: In total, 3940 SOBF were included in the study and 306 (8%) featured price promotions (range 6-9% across supermarkets). Prevalence of price promotions was higher for discretionary (mean=55%, range 47-83%) and ultra-processed food (mean= 67%, range 54-86%) compared to nutritious food (mean=39%, range 17-46%). Price promotion messages featured on 2159 SOBF shelf labels (55%, range 35-76%). Price promotion messages included ‘Every day’ displayed for 71% of all Coles SOBF and ‘Low price always’ displayed for 19% of Woolworths SOBF. Prevalence of price promotion messages was higher for discretionary (mean=62%, range 42-81%) and ultra-processed food (mean=62%, range 51-85%) compared to nutritious food.

Conclusion: This study showed price promotions and price promotion messaging on SOBF were more commonly used for unhealthy foods. Only 8% of SOBF in three major supermarket chains were price promoted, but over half carried price promoting messages on shelf labels which warrants further investigation to determine whether consumers interpret these non-discount messages correctly.

Introduction: The World Health Organization states there is unequivocal evidence that food marketing influences food preferences and eating habits. This study aimed to investigate local government perspectives on restricting unhealthy food advertising on local government-owned infrastructure.
Methods: This qualitative study utilised individual and small-group interviews with representatives from LGs and other public health organisations across WA. Data were collected between June and October 2024 using semi-structured discussion guides. Purposive sampling ensured participants represented diverse LGs based on socio-economic status, geographic location, and annual revenue. A general inductive approach was used to analyse data.
Results: Thirty-four stakeholders from 15 LGs participated in the study. The main themes were: (1) policy understanding and interest; (2) policy development and approval; and (3) policy implementation and enforcement. Several barriers and enablers affecting policy development, adoption, and implementation were identified, influencing LG capacity, interest, and readiness. LGs with a clear commitment to protecting public health placed greater priority on developing a policy but identified the need for consistent definitions (e.g. unhealthy food) and frameworks (e.g. monitoring compliance of advertising agencies) to support them in this endeavour.
Conclusion: This study highlighted the need for additional support for LGs to adopt effective policies restricting unhealthy food advertising. Recommendations included offering targeted training for LG officers to build capacity in policy implementation and fostering partnerships with public health organisations to provide cohesive support and resources. Tools to simplify the process of consistently and accurately identifying foods that require advertising restrictions are important. Addressing these factors can significantly strengthen future policy efforts to reduce unhealth food advertising on government-owned infrastructure.

Introduction
Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is important for achieving health and sustainability targets, however past interventions have not been effective. A more socially and structurally grounded understanding of fruit and vegetable use is needed to inform effective interventions.
Methods
A novel method involving participant food system mapping, ‘go-along’ shops, household observation, interviews and purchase trackers was used to gain deep insight into participants’ understanding and experiences of fruit and vegetable use. The project started by investigating participants’ procurement of fruit and vegetables before expanding to explore other associated practices such as planning, preparing and eating.
Results
Twelve households (18 participants) were involved. Fruit and vegetable procurement and food retail environments influenced how participants understood and experienced fruit and vegetable use. Participants desired high quality fruit and vegetables that lasted a long time and aligned with their ethical concerns. However, their perceived need to reduce time, effort and financial burden lead them to shop primarily at supermarkets, despite describing them as ‘convenient pond scum’. This led to decreased consumption, and de-valuing of fruit and vegetables, in which vegetables were considered an ‘add-on’ to meat and carbohydrate foods in evening meals, and fruit was relegated to children’s snacks and flavourings for breakfast meals.
Conclusion
Findings suggest that societal de-valuing of fruit and vegetables may be contributing to low consumption of fruit and vegetables. Promoting fruit and vegetables as valuable foods to incorporate into daily routines may support increased consumption. Specifically, social marketing interventions which focus on culinary aspects of fruit and vegetables as opposed to health benefits may support increased procurement and preparation of fruit and vegetables, ultimately leading to increased consumption. Limiting promotion of other food items, particularly ultra-processed foods and improving the quality and longevity of supermarket produce may also support increased fruit and vegetable use in Australia.

Introduction:
Comprehensive government nutrition policies can support adolescents to develop healthy food preferences. The Food Policy Index monitors the extent to which Australian governments are implementing globally recommended nutrition policies. This study explored the association between the strength of jurisdictional nutrition policies and adolescent dietary outcomes.

Methods:
State and Territory Food Policy Index scores from 2017 and 2021 were used to measure policy strength (very low, low, medium or high) for: i) ‘school environments’; ii) ‘campaigns’; iii) ‘unhealthy food marketing restrictions’; iv) ‘retail environments’; v) ‘leadership & systems’; and vi) ‘evidence & insights’. Dietary data were obtained from nationally representative surveys of Australian secondary school students conducted in 2018 (n=9,012) and 2022-23 (n=10,314). Outcomes were meeting fruit (≥2 serves/day) and vegetable guidelines (≥5 serves/day) and high consumption of sugary drinks (≥1 litre/week) and fast food (≥3 occasions/week). We used multivariable logistic regression to explore the association between policy strength and dietary outcomes, adjusting for demographics. The six policy domains were explored individually and in a combined model.

Results:
A small proportion of students were exposed to nutrition policies rated as high (best-practice): in ‘school environments’ (28%) and ‘campaigns’ (11%). Students in jurisdictions with high policy strength for ‘campaigns’ had lower odds of high consumption of sugary drinks (AOR: 0.65, p=0.02) and high consumption of fast-food (AOR: 0.52, p=0.03) than those in jurisdictions with low campaign strength. The odds for meeting vegetable guidelines increased with stronger policies in ‘school environments’, ‘retail environments’ and ‘evidence & insights’; however, none of these measures remained significant when combined in one model. No policy area predicted meeting fruit guidelines.

Conclusions
This study strengthens evidence supporting the association between best-practice nutrition campaigns and reduced consumption of discretionary foods. The study also supports recommendations to increase the strength of nutrition policies to improve dietary patterns.

Introduction: The OFD sector has experienced unprecedented growth since the pandemic began. However, very little is known on the public health impact of OFD service use. The aims of this study were to 1) to quantify the trends in OFD service and 2) describe consumer exposure and engagement with digital marketing techniques and how this influences food purchasing decisions in real-time.
Methods: Using a mixed methodology, we quantified the trends in the use of OFD service in 5 countries namely, Australia, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and the USA, using weighted repeated annual cross-sectional data for adults over 18 years (n=83,337) from the International Food Policy Study (2018-2021). Next, using a screen capture method followed by in-depth semi-structured interviews (n=30), we assessed drivers of OFD service use, in real-time.
Results: The overall proportion of the population purchasing meals using OFD services increased from 19 to 25% for all countries. The average number of meals purchased using OFD service nearly doubled for all countries between 2018-2021. From the screen recordings of the online food purchases on OFD services, we observed that users are mostly exposed to discretionary food items (e.g. pizza, chips) with a range of digital marketing techniques such as price discounts, promotion on food items and personalised strategies (e.g., “only for you”). Guided by the socio-ecological model, drivers to food choices on OFD services ranged from individual (motivation to seek comfort food, time- and cost-saving), social (family influence) to environment level factors (limited availability and accessibility to healthy food outlets and healthy food options; price promotions, low delivery fee and appealing food images).
Conclusion: OFD services are rapidly expanding and overwhelming prominence of digital marketing techniques to promote less healthy food options influence consumers food choices. Our research calls for policy actions to support healthier online food choices.

Government food procurement has been described as a ‘game changer’ for food systems transformation. It has the potential to influence both food consumption and food production patterns, and can deliver social, economic, and environmental benefits.

In 2023, and in an Australian first, the Victorian government introduced the Good food policy: healthy and more sustainable food procurement across its ten government departments. Harnessing the government’s significant buying power, the policy aims to drive healthier, equitable and more sustainable food practices across Victoria by shifting the way government procures food catering.

The Policy leverages key strategic platforms of the Victorian Government including the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan, Victoria’s Social Procurement Framework, Recycling Victoria: A new economy policy and the Victorian Healthy choices policy framework. Led by Department of Health, the Policy was co-designed and implemented by a cross-departmental committee containing expertise in health, nutrition, procurement, purchasing, and environmental sustainability.

Policy implementation is monitored and reported to a whole of Victorian Government Inter-Department Committee. Policy design, endorsement and governance has required strategic agility, navigation of bureaucratic mechanisms, and a commitment to working through the complexity of intersecting policy domains.

Delivering a powerful example to other workplaces, the Victorian Government has produced a model policy and supportive resources for adoption by non-government organisations. Supporting uptake of the Policy is a Catering for Good directory – an interactive register of healthy and more sustainable catering businesses (including certified social enterprises and Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses).

Embedding this policy across government will drive food system reform, shifting cultural norms, increasing demand for healthier, equitable and more sustainable food products and providing suppliers with confidence to expand these markets. ​​​​​ Consequently, the Policy is expected to make a valuable contribution to improved dietary patterns and health outcomes of the broader Victorian community.