As one of the Five Food Groups (FFG) in the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG), dairy provides 10 essential nutrients, including calcium, protein, and key vitamins - making it an indispensable part of a healthy, balanced diet.
In aged care settings, increasing dairy intake by 1.5 serves a day (from 2 to 3.5 serves) raised calcium and protein levels, and significantly reduced the risk of falls (by 11 per cent) and fractures (by 33 per cent), including hip fractures (by 46 per cent).
While improving quality of life for aged care residents, this simple dietary change could save the healthcare system $66 million annually.
More than this, increasing dairy consumption to recommended levels across the Australian population could result in significant healthcare savings, estimated at $2 billion annually.
At the same time, plant-based dairy alternatives, many of which lack the full nutritional profile of dairy (except soy-based products), are often misperceived as nutritionally equivalent - diluting dairy’s unique health credentials.
The Health Star Rating (HSR) system adds to this confusion.
Currently, more than 50 per cent of FFG cheeses score below three stars, despite their high nutritional value and proven scientific health benefits.
A flawed rating system risks further under consumption of dairy products, exacerbating nutrient deficiencies across the population.
To deliver this ADPF recommends:
Join some of Australia’s most well known dairy manufacturers by becoming a member of ADPF. Members of the ADPF have exclusive access to key resources and industry information, as well as our catalogue of eNewsletters.