Fuelling the big ideas in the healthy food revolution
The food on our plates can be a matter of life and death. Poor diet and excessive salt consumption are fuelling an epidemic of chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. These silent contributors to the global health crisis disproportionately impact marginalised communities and place immense strain on healthcare systems worldwide.
A revolution in food production and consumption is urgently needed, and The George Institute and The Ian Potter Foundation are joining forces to drive this change.
Through two powerful grant investments totalling AUD $1.2 million, The Ian Potter Foundation is empowering The George Institute to turn bold ideas into transformative solutions. Its support is advancing two pioneering initiatives focused on reducing sodium consumption and using food as medicine.
Switching the world’s salt supply to save millions of lives
Excess sodium is a hidden health risk, with the average daily intake in Australia nearly double the World Health Organization’s recommendations. Much of this sodium comes from processed foods, making it difficult for individuals to reduce their intake without systemic change.
The Ian Potter Foundation is supporting a research project dedicated to reducing excess dietary sodium consumption with a grant of $600k over five years. Building on years of research, the project is working with key stakeholders to implement a systems change strategy to support people to switch to reduced-sodium, potassium-enriched salts. This involves working with healthcare professionals to empower communities with the knowledge to make healthier choices; influencing the food industry to reformulate products; and engaging policy makers to strengthen relevant regulations.
When philanthropy and science come together, we can achieve incredible things. Switching the global salt supply from regular to potassium-enriched salt offers a practical, scalable solution to prevent millions of strokes, heart attacks, and related deaths annually, significantly improving public health outcomes worldwide. The Ian Potter Foundation’s vision and generosity are paving the way to save thousands of lives and leave a lasting legacy of better health, not just in Australia but globally.
By: Professor Bruce NealExecutive Director Australia, The George Institute for Global Health
This work is only made possible with the combined vision and collaboration of our partners Sydney Health Partners, The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, Resolve to Save Lives, CSIRO, Deakin University, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Heart Foundation and HTANALYSTS.
Revolutionising healthcare when Food is Medicine
Another investment of $600k over five years extends to the Food is Medicine movement. Through groundbreaking research, The George Institute is working to redefine how chronic diseases can be treated by shifting the focus from drug-centred treatments to prevention-focused solutions.
In 2020, Head of Nutrition Science Professor Jason Wu and his Food Policy team completed a pilot study exploring the feasibility of ‘produce prescriptions’: prescribing healthy foods to treat type 2 diabetes in food-insecure adults. The results were promising, and large-scale evidence is now needed to integrate this approach into standard healthcare practices.
The Ian Potter Foundation’s grant is enabling a second, larger trial to test the intervention’s effectiveness and determine whether it could be scaled to impact thousands, if not millions, more people. The success of this trial will mean clinical guidelines can be changed to include the provision of ‘produce prescriptions’ for people who need them most.
The Ian Potter Foundation is pleased to support the work of The George Institute to explore ‘produce prescriptions’ as an alternative to medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. These initiatives aim to improve the health of individual people and, importantly, deliver systemic change in government regulation, markets, and communities that shape the health inequities contributing to chronic disease. The Foundation’s funding is an investment in a healthy future for Australia.
By: Mr Paul ConroyCEO, The Ian Potter Foundation
This project shares the commitment and teamwork of a diverse group of partners, including Western Sydney University, University of Sydney, and Deakin University, Harris Farm Markets, Box Divvy, produce growers, the International Fresh Produce Association, and the Future Food System CRC, Royal Prince Alfred, Liverpool, Canterbury, Campbelltown and Nepean Hospitals, and the Western Sydney Primary Health Network, Diabetes Australia and Heart Foundation of Australia, NSW Ministry of Health and Agency for Clinical Innovation, East Metropolitan Health Services, Western Australia Kaiser Permanente, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and Cambridge University.
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