Nutrition in New Zealand: Can the Past Offer Lessons for the Present and Guidance for the Future?

Abstract

Over the last century, nutrition research and public health in New Zealand have been inspired by Dr Muriel Bell, the first and only state nutritionist. Some of her nutritional concerns remain pertinent today. However, the nutritional landscape is transforming with extraordinary changes in the production and consumption of food, increasing demand for sustainable and healthy food to meet the requirements of the growing global population and unprecedented increases in the prevalence of both malnutrition and noncommunicable diseases. New Zealand's economy is heavily dependent on agrifoods, but there is a need to integrate interactions between nutrition and food-related disciplines to promote national food and nutrition security and to enhance health and well-being. The lack of integration between food product development and health is evident in the lack of investigation into possible pathological effects of food additives. A national coherent food strategy would ensure all components of the food system are optimised and that strategies to address the global syndemic of malnutrition and climate change are prioritised. A state nutritionist or independent national nutrition advocacy organisation would provide the channel to communicate nutrition science and compete with social media, lead education priorities and policy development, engage with the food industry, facilitate collaboration between the extraordinary range of disciplines associated with food production and optimal health and lead development of a national food strategy.

Keywords: food additives; food industry; food policy; food security; food systems; nutrition science.

Figure 1

Gini score (x100) for total income before and after taxes and transfers in New Zealand. Between 1960–1990, there was little change in inequality followed by a steep rise which was associated with income tax and benefit changes. Reproduced with permission from [19]. Copyright Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand, 2019.

Figure 2

Annual average disposable incomes for 4 groups in New Zealand shown in 2012 NZD equivalents and adjusted for inflation rates. Steep rises for the richest 1% contrast with very small increases for the poorest 10%. Reproduced with permission from [23]. Copyright Bridget William Books, Wellington, New Zealand, 2015.

Figure 3

Relationship between income inequality versus health and social problems in wealthy countries. Income inequality is measured as the ratio of incomes between the richest 20% and poorest 20% in each country. Data are based on life expectancy, mental illness, obesity, infant mortality, teenage births, homicides, imprisonment, educational attainment, distrust and social mobility. Raw scores for each variable were converted to z-scores and each country given its average z-score. Reproduced with permission from [23]. Copyright Penguin Books, 2009.