Australia is supposedly a land of ‘foodies’. We’re regularly exposed to images of healthy, organic dishes, and encouraged by social ‘gurus’ and celebrity chefs to explore exciting new food options and food preparation techniques.

At first glance, you would assume our understanding of the health implications of our food choices and food preparation was well informed.

But the truth is somewhat different. The average Australian’s food habits are being affected by an online influx of alternative food bloggers, untrained celebrity health ‘experts’ and conspiracy theorists, which has led to a distrust of government food guidelines and legitimate scientific information.

Flinders University Professor John Coveney is the recipient of a Flinders Foundation Health Seed Grant to study the health implications of distrust in our food system.

Over an extended period, researchers will investigate ‘where, how and why’ we make our food choices, study our food handling and preparation practices at home, and examine our adherence to national dietary guidelines and recommended food safety practices.

At the conclusion of the study, Professor Coveney hopes to develop a national tool to measure trust in our food system, allowing us to better understand the impacts that distrust may have on our national health.

This research is made possible thanks to a generous supporter and generous donations from the community.

Project title: The health implications of distrust in the food system

Lead researcher: Professor John Coveney