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The topics that have been identified as the highest priority are intake/exposure and health outcomes for:

• dietary patterns relevant at a population level (a plant-based diet is referenced as one such pattern)
• animal vs plant sources of protein (specifically protein intake from plant-based sources vs from animal sources, high vs low intake of plant foods, high vs low intake of animal foods and dairy vs dairy alternatives)
• high vs low/no intake of ultra-processed foods

Part of the fact-finding work to narrow down the topics was a survey targeted at all people who use the current ADGs, including those who use them for work (clinicians, researchers, educators, policy makers) or as a personal information source (e.g., consumers). A whooping 33% wanted to see plant-based diets included in the updated guidelines.

The NHMRC acknowledges that there is an increasing population interest in eating sustainably and that the health impacts of some of these diets is not known to them, in some part due to the extensive progression there has been in knowledge since the 2013 ADGs.

One important source of knowledge that the NHMRC is likely to be scrutinising is the 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health. They brought together 37 world-leading scientists from across the globe to answer the question: Can we feed a future population of 10 billion people a healthy diet within planetary boundaries? The answer was a resounding ‘yes’, through a predominantly whole food plant-based diet. DFN looks forward to seeing the critical need for a shift to plant-based nutrition elevated during the exploration of sustainable diets.