Experts says remote Aboriginal communities lack the means to prepare and store food

Mar 12 2008

An expert in Aboriginal health has warned of the need for urgent practical measures to reduce the life expectancy gap between Aboriginal Australians and the rest of the population.

Sharon Laurence, a nutritionist who specialises in Aboriginal health, says as many as a third of homes in Aboriginal communities do not have a working refrigerator.

Laurence who is with the National Heart Foundation believes a national conference of about 200 nutritionists in Alice Springs today will highlight how poor food storage is to blame for chronic health issues.

She says statistics show that 80 per cent of housing in remote areas lacks the infrastructure to sufficiently prepare and store food.

Laurence says to be able to sustain and to prepare healthy foods and avoid some of the higher fat, less nutritious takeaway options is a fairly fundamental issue.

One of the key promises of the federal government since their election has been to close the life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, but the task is great.

The three-day conference called "Good Health-Good Tucker" will discuss the challenges ahead and hopefully come up with ways in which better nutrition can be achieved in Aboriginal communities.

A system introduced in the Northern Territory, by the Arnhemland Progress Association called FOODcards has been running camps to teach cooking and nutrition skills in order to promote healthy eating.

Adam Barnes, health and nutrition manager at the Arnhemland Progress Association; David Djalangi, cultural liaison officer with the Arnhem Land Progress Association and deputy chairperson of the Galiwin'ku Community Council and Sarah Connally, a nutritionist who helped set up the cooks camp will report on the project and it's success.