Supporting Healthier Choices: Our Call to Woolworths
- Rebecca Stonor, CEO
- 29 Apr 2026
At Doctors For Nutrition, our mission is to create a world free from preventable disease by inspiring the adoption of whole food plant-based nutrition. While we advocate for whole foods as the gold standard for health, we recognise that many in our community are time-poor and navigate a food environment where making healthy choices can be challenging.
To support this transition, we have joined Vegan Australia and the Vegan Society of Aotearoa New Zealand in a co-signed letter to Woolworths. We are concerned by reports that plant-based product lines are being reduced due to short-term sales fluctuations, and we are calling on the retailer to instead maintain and expand these offerings.
Why transitional foods matter
Moving away from animal-based foods is a significant shift, and transitional products—such as plant-based meat and dairy alternatives—serve as a practical bridge to normalise plant-forward eating. Beyond personal health, this shift is vital for the planet. By facilitating a move away from animal-derived products, we align our dietary habits with the EAT-Lancet Commission, which identifies current food production as a primary driver of climate change, biodiversity loss, and water depletion. Adopting the Planetary Health Diet requires increasing plant-based consumption and reducing animal-sourced foods, making easy access to these items a necessity for a sustainable food system.
The role of supermarkets
Supermarkets act as “choice architects” that shape our dietary habits through product placement, visibility, and availability. For the many time-poor shoppers who rely on the convenience of local retailers, integrating plant-based alternatives into mainstream categories—rather than isolating them—removes structural barriers to healthier eating. Furthermore, studies indicate that these transitional plant-based foods can be healthier than their animal-based equivalents, often containing lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol.
As an independent, registered charity, Doctors For Nutrition serves as a trusted authority, providing the healthcare sector and the broader community with evidence-based information on the benefits of plant-based nutrition. We remain steadfast in our commitment to advocating for retail environments that make plant-forward eating the accessible, normalised choice. We will continue to champion these shifts across Australia and New Zealand, empowering individuals to adopt dietary patterns that prevent, alleviate, and reverse chronic disease.
