nutrition australia act incorporated 2016 naact annual report.pdf · nutrition australia act...

Nutrition Australia

ACT Incorporated

Annual Report

2016

2016

ABN 55 159 014 153

Nutrition Australia ACT Incorporated | Annual Report 2016 2

Nutrition Australia ACT Incorporated - A05428

Registered office of the Australia Nutrition Foundation Incorporated

Chifley Health & Wellbeing Hub

5/70 Maclaurin Crescent

Chifley ACT 2606

Ph: 02 6162 2583

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.nutritionaustralia.org/act

As a registered Health Promotion Charity with the ACNC, Nutrition Australia ACT

Incorporate has deductible gift recipient status with the Australian Taxation Office.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/act


CONTENTS

About Us ................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Support, inform, educate the community .......................................................................................................... 7

Childcare services ........................................................................................................................................... 7

Early childhood services ............................................................................................................................ 7

Out of school hours care (OSHC) ............................................................................................................. 7

School nutrition services ................................................................................................................................. 8

Food&ME™ - Professional learning workshops ................................................................................... 10

Food&ME™ online training ...................................................................................................................... 11

Traffic Light Training workshops ............................................................................................................. 11

School canteen menu assessments ....................................................................................................... 11

Workplace Nutrition Services ....................................................................................................................... 12

Healthy Catering ........................................................................................................................................ 13

Community nutrition services ....................................................................................................................... 14

Community partnerships .......................................................................................................................... 14

Project Dinnertime ..................................................................................................................................... 15

Food Safety Supervisor Course .............................................................................................................. 16

Be engaged with the community ..................................................................................................................... 17

National Nutrition Week 2016 ...................................................................................................................... 17

Collaborate with other community groups and organisations ................................................................. 18

ACT Nutrition Support Service .................................................................................................................... 19

Media ............................................................................................................................................................... 21

Influence and encourage government and organisations to prioritise nutrition ........................................ 22

Nutrition Advisory Service ............................................................................................................................ 22

Advocacy and partnerships .......................................................................................................................... 24

Build a leading not-for profit ............................................................................................................................. 25

Betterbites™ ................................................................................................................................................... 25

Maintain and build on existing governance structures ............................................................................. 26

Be a credible source of evidence based food, nutrition and health information ....................................... 27

Encourage and empower staff to deliver quality services ....................................................................... 27

National representation................................................................................................................................. 28

University of Canberra student Placements .............................................................................................. 28


ABOUT US

Nutrition Australia ACT Inc. (NAACT) is a not-for-profit, non-government, registered health promotion

charity. NAACT operates through a Committee of Management ensuring good governance practices

and management.

Committee of Management

The Committee of Management is volunteer based and currently has 12 committee members with

experience in policy, education, regulation, clinical dietetics, research and health promotion programs.

Chair Gillian Duffy

Secretary Lauren Salvestro

Treasurer Kate Paul

Members Wendy Gray

Brad Tarrent

Nicholas Galloway

Allison Wood

Judy Croston

Public Officer Leanne Elliston

National Director Gillian Duffy

NAACT Staff Lyn Brown APD, Executive Officer

Leanne Elliston APD, Program Manager

Kasey Bateup APD, Public Health Nutritionist

Romy Doherty APD, ACTNSS Coordinator (until May 2016)

Rebecca Rees APD, ACTNSS Coordinator (from May 2016)

Sarah Cooper APD, Project Officer

Nutrition Consultants Dinethri Ramasundara APD

Lisa Donaldson APD

Accounts Mary Harrison, Bookkeeper

Auditor Duesburys Nexia

Legal Advisor KJB Law


Our purpose

To support the people of the ACT region to make informed food choices to create healthier

communities.

This will be achieved by supporting and educating the community, developing strategic alliances,

maintaining our engagement with the community, maintaining financial sustainability and raising our

profile in the region. NAACT will encourage and empower its staff to deliver quality services.

Our objectives

Support, inform, educate the community

to promote the prevention and/or control of lifestyle related diseases associated with overweight and obesity such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

Be engaged with community

to be ACT’s leading nutrition advocate in promoting health.

Build a leading not-for profit

to be an independent and authoritative body that aims to promote the health and wellbeing of the ACT people.

Influence and encourage government and organisations to prioritise nutrition

Our commitments

As an incorporated association, NAACT adheres to Office of Regulatory Services requirements

including independent financial audits and appropriate insurance policies. In addition, all staff and

volunteers adhere to requirements under legislation including Working with Vulnerable People Act

2011.

NAACT has been successful in receiving and acquitting ACT Health Grants, Deeds and Work Orders.

NAACT is committed to continuous improvement of practice, management and governance ensuring:

the application of evidence based and scientific information

development of effective partnerships

respect for individuals, cultural diversity and indigenous culture

equity in access and participation

NAACT has a professional and diverse workforce that enables the organisation to achieve its goals.

The organisation has a strong understanding of diet related health challenges and is committed to

education in the community to address these health risks. NAACT employs suitably qualified staff who

have current accreditation with health professional bodies to ensure best practice guidelines are

adhered to at all times.


Message from the chair

I am delighted to present the 2016 Annual Report of Nutrition Australia ACT Inc. on behalf of the

Committee of Management. Once again, it has been a busy year of working towards our goals, and

working with the ACT community. Preparing the annual report provides an opportunity to reflect on

the achievements of the year to track our progress against our organisations objectives. We have

continued to engage with, and to educate and inform many different groups within the ACT

community through our fee for service programs and government funded work. We have worked with

food businesses, workplaces, community groups, schools, and early childhood settings. As you read

this report, you get a sense of what has been achieved by our passionate, enthusiastic and very busy

staff, contractors, committee members and many volunteers across the year.

A particular achievement I would like to mention is the exciting development and launch of

BetterbitesTM - a new business arm of NAACT. BetterbitesTM supplies ACT canteens with tasty and

healthy products that meet the green or amber traffic light criteria. The tasty products have been well

received in many different locations. Our fabulous volunteers have utilised produce from our own

kitchen garden, and source other ingredients locally where possible. Thank you to Matt for the many

volunteer hours of research, planning, cooking and promoting to get this up and running.

Our media and social media presence increased significantly this year. Mid-year we developed a

television campaign with Southern Cross Austereo for Project Dinnertime cooking classes. The

resulting advertisement was aired numerous times during popular TV shows such as Masterchef, with

a potential reach of over 600 000 viewers in the ACT and surrounds. NAACT also had nine radio

appearances, six of which were invitations by ABC Canberra to discuss topical nutrition issues such

as healthy lunchboxes.

We continued to work closely with the ACT Government, progressing the work of the ACT Nutrition

Support Service (ACTNSS) and the Nutrition Advisory Service (NAS).

Over the year a great variety of resources were developed for the ACTNSS website including

fact sheets, healthy recipes and practical meal planning ideas.

In addition in 2016, subscriptions to the weekly ACTNSS newsletters increased 370%.

The CoM has continued to be active, meeting ten times across the year to maintain governance of the

organisation, monitoring progress against our strategic objectives. We have also devoted time to

reviewing and updating our governance policies. 2016 sees two of our long-term committee member’s

step down, I would like to thank both Wendy and Judy for all of their contributions to the organisation

over the last 10 or more years.

Finally, I would like to formally thank our members and sponsors, not-for-profit organisations like

NAACT cannot survive without your support. I also want to publically congratulate and thank our staff,

contractors and volunteers for their sustained work, effort and commitment for another year. Our staff

and volunteers rarely receive public recognition for the hundreds of hours they devote to the goals of

NAACT. We are looking forward to continuing to grow the organisation in 2017.

Gillian Duffy

Chair, NAACT Committee of Management


SUPPORT, INFORM, EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY

In 2016, NAACT delivered a range of nutrition services across the ACT community via fee for service

programs and government funded activities.

CHILDCARE SERVICES

EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES

NAACT provides accurate and up to date nutrition information for early childhood organizations. Our

fee for service programs support childcare facilities to meet food and nutrition requirements within the

National Quality Standard and The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.

In 2016, NAACT delivered the following early childhood service activities in the ACT:

5 parent information sessions

4 staff training sessions

6 menu assessments

120 early childhood staff, including educators and chefs, and 75 ACT parents attended NAACTs

nutrition services throughout 2016. Through increased engagement with both staff and parents,

healthy eating messages were widespread throughout many local families to improve their health and

nutrition.

OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS CARE (OSHC)

NAACT worked with OSHC services in 2016 to improve the nutritional quality of food and drinks

provided to children. Our Accredited Practising Dietitians completed menu assessments assessing all

food against the National School Canteen Guidelines, providing comprehensive recommendations

and strategies.


SCHOOL NUTRITION SERVICES

In 2016, NAACT delivered a range of tailored nutrition services for school communities, including

specific programs for students and teachers. School service delivery included the following activities:

Creating a healthy school environment: Canberra College

NAACT lead an interactive healthy eating workshop with 30 student leaders from Canberra

College. The workshop equipped these students with the skills knowledge to be the leaders in

creating a healthier school environment.

Food for everyone: St John Paul II College

NAACT was invited to present to over 60 year 9 and 10 food technology students discussing food

and nutrition considerations for older Australians.

Cooking workshops: Marist Catholic College

NAACT delivered a series of interactive and engaging healthy cooking workshops with over 80

year 4 students.

“The students enjoyed the presentation and will be able to use the

information for their assignments. We look forward to working with

you again in the future”


TECH now conference 2016

NAACT was invited to speak at the 2016 TECHnow conference about teaching nutrition to secondary

students utilising national curriculum linked resources, showcasing Project Dinnertime School to

Home and Food&ME years 7 & 8 nutrition education resources developed by NAACT.

Fresh Tastes partnership

In 2016 NAACT continued to partner with the ACT Health Fresh Tastes Service, supporting ACT

schools to make healthy food and drinks a bigger part of everyday life for Canberra’s children. As a

community partner and service provider, NAACT has contributed to building capacity of schools to

teach students about nutrition and support school canteens to provide healthy food and drink options.

75% of ACT primary schools are involved in Fresh Tastes, reaching approximately 31,500 students

aged between 5 and 12 years old. NAACT is a key service provider of this initiative.


FOOD&ME™ - PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WORKSHOPS

NAACT’s Food&METM nutrition education resources are a well-known and trusted nutrition education

resource within ACT primary schools. Written and piloted by NAACT, Food&ME™ aligns with the

Food and Nutrition components of the National Curriculum for Health and Physical Education.

Our Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) accredited professional learning has been a great success

amongst the teacher community.

NAACT recognises the important role teachers can play in teaching evidence based nutrition

messages in the classroom. In doing so, NAACT takes great pride in contributing to the nutrition

education of ACT’s children

What teachers have said about the Food&METM resources:

“Well researched and designed”.

“Extremely informative, thorough and easy to use”

“Well set out, user friendly, an excellent helping hand in the classroom designed to pick up and use”

“Fun and engaging resource that is easy to implement”.

What teachers have said about the professional learning session:

“Very informative warm presenter, well paced, great handouts and booklet!”

“It was a very enjoyable valuable PD and I learnt a lot of valuable ideas”

In 2016, NAACT delivered 26 teacher PL sessions (primary and

preschool combined) to over 500 teachers in the ACT.


FOOD&ME™ ONLINE TRAINING

Following the success of the Food&METM professional learning sessions, ACT Health have developed

a suite of online training modules based on the face-to-face PL developed by NAACT. This has made

Food&METM training freely accessible to all teachers in the ACT and surrounds. NAACT has played

an integral role in providing content review of the modules and looks forward to its release in 2017.

Food&METM is a registered trademark of Nutrition Australia ACT Incorporated.

TRAFFIC LIGHT TRAINING WORKSHOPS

In partnership with ACT Health and as part of the Fresh Tastes Service

NAACT delivers these one-hour staff and school community workshops to help

participants understand the National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines

Traffic Light System and its application within the school environment.

In 2016, NAACT delivered nine on-site workshops at a variety of public and

independent Fresh Tastes participating schools providing education on the

traffic light food system to over 250 attendees.

SCHOOL CANTEEN MENU ASSESSMENTS

The ACT Public School Food and Drink Policy 2015, requires that all public school canteens

undertake an annual menu assessment to assess the food and drinks provided for sale against the

National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines.

NAACT has been working with the ACT Government to assess all public school canteen menus

against the National Healthy School Canteen Traffic Light System. NAACT also continues to offer

ongoing support and advice to school canteens to help them meet Policy requirements.

In 2016, NAACT visited 60 ACT public school canteens to undertake

canteen menu assessments.

“Such a joyful presenter- contagious enthusiasm!”

“Thank you! It was a highly valuable session.”


WORKPLACE NUTRITION SERVICES

NAACT delivered a wide range of fee for service programs across ACT workplaces throughout 2016.

With Australians spending around one third of their lives at work, it is well recognised that the

workplace is an ideal setting for promoting healthy eating.

Demand for NAACT’s workplace services increased in 2016, with the delivery of the following

services:

10 cooking demonstrations

7 healthy eating seminars

1 series of 18 one-on-one dietary consultations

1 healthy eating information stand

Valued clients in 2016 included:

Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate

National Archives Australia

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

National Library of Australia

Healthier Work ACT

In 2016, over 500 workers benefited from attending a NAACT workplace nutrition service.


HEALTHY CATERING

Due to popular demand, NAACT has been adding extra value its cooking demonstrations by hosting

healthy workplace and community lunches. Our nutritious lunches, prepared in our food business

registered kitchen, are accompanied with healthy eating tips, recipes and useful take home

information for participants.

“[The presenter] was very engaging and was able to answer a wide variety of questions from

participants. The participants were keen to have more of these sessions which demonstrated

how well it went.”

“Great session, love the information and great that we can reach out for more info if

needed.”


COMMUNITY NUTRITION SERVICES

NAACT delivered a range of tailored nutrition services to the community sector in 2016. NAACT

inspired staff, volunteers and clients with our professional services including: nutrition information

sessions, staff professional development and tailored cooking workshops.

In 2016, NAACT delivered the following community nutrition services:

Cooking demonstrations for:

Companion house

Communities@work

Carers ACT

Public cooking demonstrations at the 2016 Seniors Expo and the 2016 Retirement and

Lifestyle Expo.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

In 2016, NAACT collaborated with the following organisations to deliver tailored nutrition education

programs:

Leukaemia Foundation

NAACT partnered with the Leukaemia Foundation to deliver a series of cooking demonstrations and a

celebratory Christmas Brunch event for people living with cancer. Participants and carers were able

discuss food and nutrition concerns with an experienced Accredited Practising Dietitian.

YWCA

NAACT partnered with YWCA to deliver a series of cooking workshops throughout term 1 at the

Lanyon community centre with year 6 students from nearby Charles Conder Primary School and year

7 students from Wanniassa High School.

A second program targeting vulnerable high school students, was completed in Term 2 with students

from Lanyon High School. Students prepared Nutrition Australia’s recipes each week, developing

resilience through food skills.

Staff professional development session for:

Hartley Lifecare

Companion House

Red Cross


Companion House

NAACT facilitated onsite nutrition training to bilingual peer mentors from a range of multicultural

backgrounds, specifically new arrivals to Australia. In addition, NAACT delivered an interactive

cooking workshop with refugees, which included harvesting vegetables from the Companion House

vegetable garden and using these to prepare nutritious dishes for their families.

PROJECT DINNERTIME

Project Dinnertime aims to build skills and confidence in the kitchen, getting more people cooking

more often.

The clinic was established for individuals who require more intensive support and guidance in the

kitchen to suit their specific dietary needs.

In June 2016, NAACT developed a television campaign with Southern Cross Austereo for Project

Dinnertime cooking classes.

Project Dinnertime has been welcomed by disability support agencies for staff to learn healthy recipes

and menu planning as well as clients to build food skills and independence. Resultant demand has

led to NAACT applying for NDIS registration under therapeutic supports. We look forward to

supporting people with disabilities as a NDIS provider in 2017.

In 2016, NAACT delivered two four-week group

cooking classes and launched the new one-on-one

cooking clinic.

Our 15 second advertisement was aired numerous times during

Masterchef and other television programs, with a potential reach of

over 600 000 viewers in the ACT and surrounds.


FOOD SAFETY SUPERVISOR COURSE

NAACT continues its partnership agreement with The Australian Nutrition Foundation (QLD DIV) Inc.

trading as NAQ Nutrition Training (Registered Training Organisation) to deliver units of competencies

that meet Food Safety Supervisor requirements for ACT registered food businesses.

Upon successful completion of the course, students achieve a Statement of Attainment for the

following units of competency:

SITXFSA201 Participate in safe food handling practices

SITXFSA101 Use hygienic practices for food safety

In 2016, NAACT delivered 5 Food Safety Supervisor courses to a total of 34 participants.

The majority of participants undertaking the course were from school canteens, community

organisations and early childhood services.

RTO Number 110074


BE ENGAGED WITH THE COMMUNITY

NATIONAL NUTRITION WEEK 2016

National Nutrition Week 2016 theme was Try for 5, aimed at encouraging all Australians to discover

new ways to add veg to their day. The campaign encompassed three key message to boost

vegetable intake:

Eat a rainbow Try something new Love your legumes

Try for 5 Challenge

Throughout National Nutrition Week, participants of the Try for 5 challenge were sent

daily emails with recipes, tips and links to websites to inform and empower them to

increase their vegetable intake. There were two options to get involved in the Try for 5

challenge in 2016:

Team Game: Team members could log their daily vegetable intake online to earn points. They could

also earn bonus points, chat with other team members, share photos and access recipes on the

website.

Personal Challenge: Challengers could register individually online and challenge themselves to try

for 5 serves of vegetables a day by doing it their own way.

Participants were also asked to share pictures of what they were eating on social media,

using the #NNW2015 and #Tryfor5 hashtags.

National Nutrition Week in the ACT

NAACT promoted National Nutrition Week and the Try for 5 theme with a public “Cook off”. NAACT’s

Accredited Practising Dietitian’s competed against one another to prepare 3 recipes showcasing the

three key messages. This was followed by an on-site interview with ABC 666.

NAACT also delivered a suite of nutrition seminars and cooking demonstrations to ACT workplaces,

including the National Archives of Australia and the National Health and Medical Research Council to

inspire employees to increase their vegetable intake.


COLLABORATE WITH OTHER COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS

Community partnerships

NAACT has established strong partnerships and networks within the ACT community. This included

supporting community organisations in grant applications and delivering tailored nutrition services. In

2016, NAACT collaborated with the following community organisations:

Companion House

Leukaemia Foundation

YMCA

YWCA

Oz Help Foundation

CIT Student Association

Australian Breastfeeding Association

Warehouse Circus

Alzheimer’s ACT

Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA)

NAACT partnered with DAA in the development of APD cookbook. Using the NAACT kitchen the

NAACT team of dietitians cooked 20 dishes that were represented in the 2017 Accredited Practising

Dietitians cookbook.


ACT NUTRITION SUPPORT SERVICE

The ACT Nutrition Support Service (ACTNSS) is a three-year project, funded by ACT Health Healthy

Canberra Grants. The ACTNSS supports targeted community settings to embrace healthy food and

drink choices by creating and sustaining healthy eating environments.

The ACTNSS website serves as a nutrition hub of information for the ACT community and in

particular, the following targeted sectors:

community organisations

workplaces

childcare services

schools

disability support services

senior support services.

Website

The ACTNSS website is a progressively strong performer with 20 066 website visits by the end of

2016.

In 2016, a suite of nutrition related resources were developed including fact sheets, healthy recipes

and practical meal planning ideas. Over 2016, the most popular fact sheet was ‘Simple snacks to

pack’ and the most viewed recipe was our Anzac biscuits.

E-newsletters

Organisations and individuals that subscribe to the ACTNSS receive weekly e-newsletter “Newsbites”,

containing topical general nutrition information. Sector specific e-newsletters are distributed quarterly

to subscribers of each sector.

Over 2016, subscriptions increased from 291 to 1075 – an increase of 370%.

Professional development

In 2016 the ACTNSS delivered 9 staff professional development sessions across six sectors with a

total of 197 attendees representing 122 organisations. These sessions focused on meeting client

food and nutrition requirements, management of food and nutrition concerns, and developing effective

nutrition policies.

The estimated total community reach from these sessions is over 30 000 Canberrans.

The feedback from all sessions was resoundingly positive, with all attendees agreeing that the content

had been relevant and useful, and provided an opportunity to discuss and receive professional advice

on common nutrition issues. The sessions were also positively viewed as an opportunity to network

with other like organisations.

A social media campaign targeting workplaces, in the lead up to the festive season, comprised of a

series of recipes, photos and an accompanying fact sheet on the ‘bring a plate’ theme.


This successful campaign received over 6 500 views on Facebook.

Public events

During 2016, ACTNSS delivered public cooking demonstrations and nutrition information stands at

the following community events:

Lifestyle and Retirement Expo

Seniors Expo

SHOUT Expo

Mental Health and Wellbeing Expo

Multicultural Festival

The number of direct contacts with community members from these events were over 1 000 and

reach estimated to be over 6 500.


By the end of 2016 ACTNSS received over 1 030 Facebook likes, an

increase of 450% over the year.

By the end of 2016, the educational videos were viewed over 19 000 times on Facebook alone.

MEDIA

Radio appearances

NAACT’s exposure in the media increased in 2016 with nine radio appearances, six of which were

invitations by ABC Canberra to discuss topical nutrition issues such as healthy lunchboxes,

unregulated health claims and body image.

Social media

The ACTNSS shares credible nutrition information on Facebook and Twitter.

In 2016, our dietitians developed 11 short educational videos containing practical tips to help

Canberrans make healthier food choices. The most popular video was ‘Tips to navigate the food

court’ (over 2 400 views) which provided practical tips to make healthier choices when dining in the

food court.

https://www.facebook.com/ACTNutritionSupportService/

https://twitter.com/ACTNSS


INFLUENCE AND ENCOURAGE GOVERNMENT AND ORGANISATIONS

TO PRIORITISE NUTRITION

NUTRITION ADVISORY SERVICE

The Nutrition Advisory Service (NAS) operates alongside the ACTNSS to provide a broad and

integrated nutrition service that meets key objectives within the ACT Government’s Healthy Weight

Initiative.

Key activities of the NAS includes nutrition advice and support to:

ACT Government staff ordering catering or working on Healthy Weight Initiative projects

Vending machine suppliers who have vending machines on ACT Government worksites

Food service outlets on ACT Government worksites

Food service outlets providing catering to ACT Government

ACT Public Schools:

Fresh Tastes Catholic and Independent Schools

Parents and Citizens’ Associations

Food service outlets across Canberra

Non-government stakeholders including community sector

School canteen providers

In 2016, the NAS has delivered the following:

60 ACT Public School canteen site visits and menu assessments.

Two site visits and menu assessments for Catholic Primary Schools participating in ACT Health’s

Fresh Tastes initiative.

Two training workshops about the National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines (Traffic Light

System) and ACT Public School Food and Drink Policy to over 30 school canteen managers,

teachers and P&Cs representing 23 ACT schools.

10 ACT Government food outlet site visits and assessments as part of the ACT Public Sector

Healthy Food and Drink Choices Policy and the ACT Health Healthy Food and Drink Choices

Policy.

124 vending machine assessments across seven ACT Government directorates, as part of the

ACT Public Sector Healthy Food and Drink Choices: Vending Machine Management Policy.

Completed three catering menu assessments for the ACT Government’s Territory Catering

Provider Multi-Use List.


Provided strategic advice in the planning stages of the ‘Choose

Healthier’ pilot project to ensure nutrition recommendations were

evidence based. Individualised, practical advice was also provided to

participating businesses throughout the pilot to identify and improve

the range of healthier choices available for their customers. The

‘Choose Healthier’ project will be expanded during 2017, following the

success of the pilot.

Received and provided advice on over 500 food and nutrition related

queries. Advice has been provided to:

ACT Government employees, food outlet operators and vending machine suppliers to

support the implementation of the ACT Public Sector Healthy Food and Drink Choices and

Vending Machine Management Policies; and the ACT Health Healthy Food and Drink

Choices Policy.

School canteen managers, staff and P&Cs to support the school community in complying

with the ACT Public School Food and Drink Policy.

Healthy Weight Initiative implementation groups to achieve prioritised nutrition outcomes.

Caterers to assist in the development of healthier catering menus for ACT Government

funded events and functions, in line with the ACT Public Sector Healthy Food and Drink

Choices Policy.

“With advice from ACT Nutrition Support Service and a good

quality branding strategy, we found that you can introduce a

competitively priced, healthier option at the movies with no

impact on our core product sales or profit margin.”

– Limelight Cinema


ADVOCACY AND PARTNERSHIPS

NAACT strives to work in collaboration with local organisations who share a common goal of

supporting healthy eating for all Canberrans.

In 2016, NAACT:

Participated in the Healthy Schools Network ACT to support schools and early childhood

settings to become health promoting environments.

Represented the ACT on the National Healthy School Canteen Network and attendance at

National meeting in Perth.

Collaborated with Dietitians Association of Australia, Public Health Association of Australia

and National Heart Foundation in advocating to Federal Government for a National Nutrition

Policy.

Key stakeholders in 2016 included:

ACT Health, Health Improvement Branch, ACT Government

Chief Minister, Treasury & Economic Development Directorate, ACT Government

Education Directorate, ACT Government

Community Services Directorate, ACT Government

WorkSafe, Healthier Work, ACT Government

University of Canberra

ACT Council of Parents & Citizens Association

NAACT staff participate in networking events and meetings to improve the health of the ACT

population. In 2016, this included:

ACT Healthy Schools Network

ACT Health Protection Food Regulation Advisory Committee, ACT Government

Australian Council of Health, Physical Education and Recreation

ACT Election Forum, Your Health Your Vote – in collaboration with the following

organisations:

Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education

Public Health Association of Australia

Heart Foundation ACT

Australian Medical Association ACT

Cancer Council ACT


BUILD A LEADING NOT-FOR PROFIT

BETTERBITES™

For as long as NAACT has been working in the school canteen space, the

availability of healthier options that meet NHSCG has continued to be a

challenge. In 2016 NAACT sought to rectify this through the creation of

BetterbitesTM. BetterbitesTM is a new business arm of NAACT which aims to

supply canteens and food outlets across the ACT with healthier products

that meet the GREEN or AMBER traffic light criteria according to ACT Food

and Drink Policies.

All of the BetterbitesTM products are produced on a volunteer basis in the

NAACT food business registered kitchen, using recipes that not only taste great but also boost

vegetable content. Where possible local quality ingredients are sourced including herbs and spinach

grown in the NAACT vegetable gardens.

The launch of BetterbitesTM in 2016 saw three new products hit the market. These were AMBER

sausage rolls, AMBER spinach and ricotta rolls and GREEN burger patties. Products are selling in a

number of school and sporting canteens and the spinach and ricotta rolls were a favourite vegetarian

option at the 2016 Floriade festival.

BetterbitesTM is a registered trademark of Nutrition Australia ACT Incorporated.


MAINTAIN AND BUILD ON EXISTING GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES

Salesforce

In NAACT’s ongoing commitment to effective documentation, reporting and evaluation, in 2016 a

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system was developed by AlphaSys to meet unique

requirements. The specially developed Salesforce platform provides NAACT greater capacity to drive

marketing strategies and campaigns to build our capacity within the ACT community. The Salesforce

platform will also be utilised to streamline ACT Government reporting requirements.

Governance documentation

As part of NAACT’s quality assurance processes, in 2016 the following governance documents were

reviewed:

1. Governance Manual

2. Risk Management Plan

3. Workplace Health & Safety Policy

4. Client Diversity Policy

5. Child Protection Policy

6. Critical Incident Policy


BE A CREDIBLE SOURCE OF EVIDENCE BASED FOOD, NUTRITION

AND HEALTH INFORMATION

ENCOURAGE AND EMPOWER STAFF TO DELIVER QUALITY SERVICES

As an employer of Accredited Practising Dietitians, NAACT supports staff to maintain accreditation by

attending local continuing professional development opportunities that align with professional goals

and improve staff knowledge and capacity to deliver evidence based nutrition education.

In September 2016, Leanne Elliston, Program Manager of NAACT, was a guest speaker at the

Dietitians Update Day, facilitated by the Dietitians Association of Australia. Leanne provided

professional insights to local dietitians into the diverse world of community nutrition.

NAACT hosted a professional development event in May 2016, where guest speaker Dr Catherine

Itsiopoulos APD presented on the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet.


NATIONAL REPRESENTATION

NAACT participated in various activities to support the operations of Nutrition Australia’s national

body. In 2016, this included:

representation on the National Nutrition Australia Board

representation at Nutrition Australia senior staff forums

representation at National Nutrition Week coordination forums

advocacy alongside the National Heart Foundation, Public Health Association and the

Dietitians Association of Australia for the development of a National Nutrition Policy.

UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA STUDENT PLACEMENTS

In 2016, NAACT continued its strong relationship with the University of Canberra (UC) by supervising

six Master of Nutrition and Dietetics students each undertaking six weeks of community nutrition

placements. Placement projects included:

Healthy eating program for CIT students – needs assessment

Cooking programs for families – needs assessment

Development and pilot of Food 4 Families cooking program

NAACT also provided mentoring to six first year Masters students as part of the UC community

nutrition unit requirements.

nutrition australia act incorporated 2016 naact annual report.pdf · nutrition australia act...

Documents