Australia's Food Environment Dashboard

Data Highlights

Domain Indicator Result Assessment What was measured?
Food composition

Proportion of packaged food and drinks classified as unhealthy

5o%

Packaged food and drinks available in Australian supermarkets (2024)

Food labelling

Proportion of packaged food and drinks that display the Health Star Rating

35%

Packaged food and drinks available in Australia’s four major retailers that are intended to display the HSR in 2024

Food promotion

Number of TV ads for unhealthy vs healthy foods in children’s peak viewing time

2.3/hr  vs  1.0/hr

Product type and frequency of TV food ads on four Adelaide channels over 12 months (30,000 hours) (2017)

Number of unhealthy food and drink promotions to which children are exposed online

10/hr

Children (aged 13-17yrs, n=9) recorded mobile device screen every time they went onto relevant online platforms or apps for two weekdays and one weekend (2018-19)

Food prices and affordability

Cost of healthy diet as a proportion of income (low-income groups)

Queensland:  27%
Sydney:           26-28%
Canberra:       28%
Rural Vic:        32%

Cost of recommended (healthy) diet as a proportion of indicative disposable household income in different regions of Australia

Remote Qld:  34-36%

Supermarkets

Proportion of checkouts that display unhealthy food or drinks

90%

Placement of discretionary food and drinks at staff-assisted checkouts across a sample of all major supermarket chains (n=104) in Victoria (2019)

Average discount on unhealthy vs healthy foods

25.9% vs 15.4%

Weekly online price data for food and beverages from the largest Australian supermarket chain over 1 year (2017-2018)

Fast food

Average energy content of ‘combination meal deals’

66.4% of average daily recommended energy intake

Mean contribution of large-sized combination meal deals to average daily recommended energy intake for adults, when highest-energy side and drink options are selected, 10 major fast food chains (2020)

Food in settings

Proportion of schools in which unhealthy food and drinks (sugary or artificially sweetened drinks, fried foods, salty snacks, sugary snacks) are usually provided or available for sale at the school

94%

Implementation of 32 healthy eating initiatives reported in a national primary school principal survey (n=167), August 2022 to October 2023

Proportion of schools in which fresh fruit is usually provided or available for sale at the school canteen

73%

Proportion of schools in which fresh vegetables (i.e. vegetable sticks, not salad on a sandwich) are usually provided or available for sale at the school canteen

51%

Assessment rating: Green = ‘Promotes health’; Amber = ‘Needs further improvement to promote health’; Red = ‘Unhealthy’

 

Recommended reference: Deakin University. Australia’s Food Environment Dashboard [Internet]. Melbourne (AU): Deakin University; 2025. Available from: https://foodenvironmentdashboard.com.au/