Revision of the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines

The revised Australian Dietary Guidelines (the Guidelines) will be for people of all ages and backgrounds in the general population, including people with common diet-related risk factors such as being overweight or having high blood pressure. The revised Guidelines will not be for people who require specialised diets for treatment of disease or chronic conditions, but are aimed at preventing chronic conditions.

Scoping activities and topic prioritisation

NHMRC conducted initial scoping activities during 2021 to refine the scope of the revision. These included stakeholder surveys, limited literature searches and a review of international food-based dietary guidelines. A wide-ranging list of potential research topic areas were identified for consideration during this initial scoping period.

The Dietary Guidelines Expert Committee (the Expert Committee) prioritised this preliminary list of potential topics over a series of meetings. Topics were prioritised based on the impact on public health and wellbeing and on the likelihood that the evidence-base has changed enough since the release of the 2013 Guidelines to change the recommendations. Topics also needed to be related to whole foods, food groups or dietary patterns.

Details of scoping activities, topic prioritisation, research question development and how lower priority research questions will be addressed is available in the Prioritisation Process Report.

Dietary guidance for older Australians

In 2023 the Department of Health and Aged Care commissioned a review of evidence on dietary guidance for older Australians as an additional component of the revised Guidelines. Where possible, the work to develop dietary advice for older Australians will be aligned with the revised Guidelines.

The dietary guidance for older Australians will be for those aged 65 years and over in the general population (or 50+ among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples). This guidance is not intended for people who require specialised diets for treatment of disease or chronic conditions, but is aimed at preventing malnutrition, falls, frailty and chronic conditions. This may include people living in residential aged care who do not require specialised diets.

Scoping for older Australians

The Expert Committee identified priority research topics relevant to older Australians during the prioritisation process for the broader review.

Information about scoping activities to inform guidance for older Australians is in the Prioritisation Process Report for Older Australians.