Food Environments Team
About
Food Environments Team Research
Our vision is for a world where every child thrives in communities that celebrate and support healthy eating.
The Food Environments Team conducts research focusing on community needs and preferences. Our research priorities are driven by the mission to cohesively and comprehensively build the evidence base to inform policy and practice:
- Create healthy food environments that provide equitable access, availability and affordability of healthier foods.
- Reduce the availability, marketing and promotion of unhealthy foods where children live, eat, play and go to school.
- Help to redress the nations childhood obesity crisis and the consumption of harmful foods by children, particularly those who are at risk, disadvantaged and vulnerable.
Food Environments Team Research Streams
Our research streams are conceptually aligned with four food environments as described by the Glantz et al. 2005 Model of Community Nutrition Environments.
Community Food Environment
Sources of food available to the general population- the i.e., type and location of food outlets, and accessibility of these outlets.
Organisational Food Environment
Sources of food available to a defined group of people within a particular setting – i.e., homes, canteens in schools, worksites, churches and healthcare facilities.
Consumer Food Environment
What consumers encounter within retail and organisational food environments – i.e., the products or meals available for purchase and their price, promotion and placement.
Information Environment
Includes the marketing and advertising of food.
Our portfolio of work is undertaken using a fully multi-disciplinary and collaborative research approach supported by our funders and partners. Critical to our success is engagement with our Youth Advisory Committees, Consumer Advisory Committees and Stakeholder Advisory Committees from conception to planning, implementation and knowledge transfer.
The quality and impact of our research has been formally acknowledged through 41 awards and prizes at the local, state, national and international level.
Contact the Food Environments Team at FET@ecu.edu.au