Response to Australia’s proposed National Food Security Strategy (NFSS)

Australia’s food system faces significant risks and costs. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation estimates AUD$274 billion in hidden costs annually, including AUD$225 billion from environmental degradation and AUD$49 billion from poor diets and health outcomes. These costs demonstrate that food security cannot be addressed through productivity alone; systemic risks must be managed.

WBA welcomes the inclusion of a whole-of-system principle in Australia’s proposed National Food Security Strategy (NFSS), recognising that communities, producers, consumers, government and companies all play interconnected roles – although with differentiated responsibilities. In this submission, WBA highlights the need for corporate transparency and accountability to be embedded in the NFSS, given that company decisions influence every stage of the value chain, from how food is produced to what reaches consumers, and under what conditions. Companies shape land-use change, emissions, producer livelihoods, job quality, and nutritional environments, and they must also manage overlapping transitions in climate, nature, human rights, and digital technologies. Addressing these separately can create negative unintended consequences in Australia’s food system.

Embedding clear expectations for company contributions within the NFSS will ensure they play their part in building a resilient and equitable food system.

Read our submission