Draft Australian Dietary Guidelines (PDF, 3MB) - Eat For Health

A7.3 Social distribution of food intake andnutrition statusSocioeconomic factors have a large impact on food and nutrient intakes and food purchasingdecisions and patterns [858], and there is clear evidence of a social gradient for the distribution ofdiet-related chronic disease. Yet evidence for a social gradient related to specific foods - ratherthan overall dietary patterns - is less clear.Two recent systematic reviews assessed the impact of dietary interventions relative to socialdisadvantage [1012] and determinants of healthy eating for those with low income [1013]. Theyfound that economic and cultural influences impact on consumption of specific foods or foodgroups. While nutrition interventions can have greater impact in higher socioeconomic areas andnon-ethnic groups, they do not have a detrimental impact in low socioeconomic groups [1012,1013].Those with the least disposable income are at the greatest risk of poor nutrition as householdsvulnerable to poverty spend less per person on food but a greater proportion of their totalexpenditure on food [1014]. Analysis of Australian household food expenditure data suggests thata substantial proportion of the population is severely restricted in its capacity to make nutritiousfood choices and to achieve a healthy diet [1015].A7.3.1 Economics of food choiceThere is a growing body of research which indicates that food groups with more favourablenutrient profiles are more expensive. The ‘economics of food choice’ theory states that people’sdietary decisions, when made within the context of sustained budgetary constraints, are driven bymaximising energy value for money (dollars per megajoule [$/MJ]), resulting in energy-dense,nutrient-poor diets [730, 806]. For instance, meat, fruit and vegetables food groups have thehighest nutritional quality however are usually associated with highest costs, while sweets andsalted snacks have the lowest nutritional quality but are an inexpensive source of dietary energy[730, 806, 859, 1016]. Although high-quality nutrition is known to protect against chronic diseases,energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods costs considerably less than nutrient-rich foods [728].The costs of healthy (low energy-density, high nutrient density) foods are reported to beincreasing in Australia in comparison with higher energy density, lower nutrient density food. Oversix years from 2000 to 2006 the Consumer Price Index for food in Brisbane increased by 32.5%while the cost of a standard basket of healthy food increased approximately 50% acrossQueensland [140].DRAFT Australian Dietary Guidelines- December 2011 180