Appetite For Change

27/08/2026

✨ ANZAED 2026 wrap-up

What an inspiring few days!

Over the weekend, Gabbi Heruc, Lyza Norton, Felicity Coluccio & Amei Lukeman had the opportunity to present our work on developing guiding principles and teacher training for safe and health-promoting food and nutrition messaging in schools.

From engaging presentations to conversations between sessions, it was fantastic to see so much interest!

We're grateful to everyone who attended our presentations, shared their perspectives, and contributed to the conversation. Opportunities like these remind us how valuable collaboration is in advancing evidence-informed practice and informing our work.

Thank you, ANZAED, for bringing together such a passionate and thoughtful community. We look forward to applying our learnings and reflections to our work.

Follow along to stay up to date!

27/08/2026

Welcome to SHiNE — Supporting Healthful Initiatives in Nutrition Education.

We’re excited to launch our social media presence and bring you along as we endeavor to make nutrition conversations safer and more positive for everyone.

Our first project is to develop Australia‑first guidelines for teachers, plus national teacher training to support safe, health‑promoting food and nutrition messages in schools.

This work is proudly supported by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

We are incredibly grateful to Western Sydney University for administering this project, and to The University of Newcastle, Australia for their ongoing support.

We can’t wait to involve you in our work to improve food and nutrition messaging across the nation! Follow along to stay updated and join us on this journey.

We're extremely grateful to our passionate team...

Chief Investigators:
Gabriella Heruc
Catharine Fleming
Sarah Kennedy
Lyza Norton
Kirrilly Pursey

Associate Investigators:
Tracy Burrows
Zali Yager
Tetyana Rocks
Deb Mitchison
Deana Leahy
Kylie Burton
Julia Rossi
Alexi Cross
Megan Warin
Robert Gorkin

Plus Megan Bray & Mark Leary

Partner Organisations:
Dietitians Australia
Australian Council of Health, Physical Education and Recreation
The Embrace Collective
Eating Disorders Families Australia
National Eating Disorders Collaboration
Nutrition Australia
Life Education Australia
The Butterfly Foundation

27/05/2026

📣How would you like food and nutrition messaging at school to be improved? 🍉🍔

Our research team at Western Sydney University and University of Newcastle are recruiting young adults (aged 18-24yrs) to provide feedback on a draft version of school food and nutrition messaging guidelines in a one-off online session (1.5 hours).

Your feedback will help ensure the guidelines are relevant, clear, and acceptable to the people they are designed to support.

To learn more and register your interest: tinyurl.com/GDG-YAdults

23/03/2026

📣Are you 18–25 with lived experience of an eating disorder during primary / high school?

🍎Tell us about how food & nutrition messaging at school impacted you!

A/Prof Gabriella Heruc and the team at Western Sydney University and University of Technology Sydney are conducting an online survey to understand how nutrition messaging in Australian primary and secondary schools is perceived and how it relates to eating behaviours.

🔗 To learn more and take part: https://tinyurl.com/3d9rua3b

Please share widely!

23/10/2025

Proud that Appetite for Change is a partner organisation on the TrEAT Clinical Quality Registry and this exciting MRFF grant - helping to improve care for patients, both in the moment and in the future.

We’re thrilled to congratulate TrEAT Registry on receiving a $2 million MRFF grant to expand and strengthen this vital work, building a robust national data infrastructure to support people and families affected by eating disorders.

The TrEAT Registry (Australia & New Zealand Clinical Quality Registry for Eating Disorders Treatment) is a collaborative project bringing together specialist clinics, researchers, policy leaders, and people with lived experience to build a learning health system that uses real-world clinical data to improve care and outcomes.

Supported by ANZAED, the National Eating Disorders Collaboration, and the Butterfly Foundation, TrEAT is guided by a diverse Scientific Advisory Committee committed to ethical, inclusive, and innovative practice.

🔗 Follow the TrEAT Registry on LinkedIn and visit treatregistry.org
to learn more or get involved: https://www.uts.edu.au/about/faculties/health/faculty-health-research/treat-registry/treat-research

09/04/2025

SHiNE - Supporting Healthful Initiatives in Nutrition Education
I am thrilled to announce success in securing over $990,000 through the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) 2024 MRFF Early to Mid-Career Researchers Initiative.

Hosted by Western Sydney University, this project is led by myself (A/Prof Gabriella Heruc) and supported by a dedicated team of researchers, including Chief Investigators Dr. Catharine Fleming, Dr. Sarah Kennedy, Dr Lyza Norton, and Dr. Kirrilly Pursey, in collaboration with an incredible group of associate investigators and partner organisations.

The project aims to shine a light on nutrition messaging in schools. Utilising knowledge translation and co-design principles, the project is set to develop urgently needed world-first guidelines on safe nutrition messaging for schools. Working in partnership with teachers, parents and young people, the project will deliver positive nutrition messages to support the wellbeing of young people.
Deb Mitchison, Tracy Burrows, Tetyana Rocks, Zali Yager, Deana Leahy, Robert Gorkin, Kylie Burton, Julia Rossi, Alexi Cross, A/Prof Megan Warin
The University of Newcastle, Australia
Dietitians Australia
ACHPER Australia
The Embrace Collective
National Eating Disorders Collaboration
EDFA Eating Disorders Families Australia
Nutrition Australia
Healthy Harold

25/03/2024

🗓 GPs, mark your calendars for this Wednesday 27 March!

We're hosting an essential information webinar from 12:00 to 12:30 PM AEDT that you won't want to miss. This session is a golden opportunity for GPs to learn about the new ANZAED Eating Disorder Credential.

The Credential provides GPs with formal recognition of qualifications, knowledge, training, and professional development activities needed to meet minimum standards for the delivery of safe and effective eating disorder care.

👉 Register here for our information webinar: http://tinyurl.com/webinarGPs

📆 Date: 27 March 2024
⏰ Time: 12-12.30pm AEDT

Help us bridge the gap between those in need and the care they deserve!

29/02/2024

This morning in Canberra, the Butterfly Foundation launched the Paying the Price Report 2024. With significant bipartisan support, MPs from across the floor passionately agreed on the need for increased attention, funding and understanding of eating disorders.

The economic and social costs of eating disorders have grown by 36% since 2012 to $67 billion.

But less than a third of those with eating disorders seek help.

We know this is partly because they don’t know where to go.

The ANZAED Eating Disorder Credential can help improve access to care. By ensuring clinicians have the right qualifications and training – the Credential can help people find the right care at the right time. https://connected.anzaed.org.au/

11/01/2024

Great to see this important research and issue being highlighted in the Guardian today.
Weight loss products can be very dangerous for young people.
I’m hopeful that work like this can bring about change and help prevent more young people from developing disordered eating.

Young people vulnerable to body-image pressure face aggressive marketing via advertising and influencers, researchers say

06/04/2023

Such an important cause - please consider signing if you are in support!

We need your voice!

Eating disorders are a national crisis in Australia - one million Australians suffer from eating disorders and 1 in 4 adolescents experience disordered eating each year.

There is hope. Recovery from an eating disorder is possible. Early intervention has proven to establish better treatment outcomes.

Two of EDFA’s members have designed an e-petition directed to the Federal House of Representatives.

HOW YOU CAN HELP...

Please “e-sign” the below petition to the House of Representatives in Canberra (Petition ) https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN4972 to request:

1) Increased funding
2) Timely implementation of the impending National Eating Disorders Strategy (ETA 2nd half 2023)
3) Reduction of out-of-pocket costs for ED patients/carers.

Please “share” the link to your family/friends/social network for them to e-sign.

Your voice and numbers matter.

SOME DETAILS...

WHO? Any resident or citizen can sign (you do not need to be someone experiencing an ED or a carer; you do not need to be 18yrs+).
WHEN? The e-Petition is available for e-signature ONLY UNTIL 25 APRIL.
WHAT? The e-Petition link above explains the specific request and rationale.
WHERE? Once the 4wk e-signing period is complete, the Petition will be presented in the House in Canberra. Zoe Daniel, Independent Federal MP has agreed to present the Petition. The multi-party “Parliamentary Friends of Eating Disorder Awareness” Co-chairs (MPs: Zoe Daniel-Indep, Andrew Wallace-Liberal, Susan Templeman-Labor) are also helping to drive awareness of the resource need.
WHY? Petitions are typically referred to a Minister, who is asked to provide a response w/in 90 days. Thus, petitions get formal recognition via presentation in Parliament, and a written response.

EDFA supports this petition.

Zoe Daniel Susan Templeman MP Andrew Wallace - LNP Federal Member for Fisher