Onion nutrition education program for health professionals and the food service industry (VN20002)

The program aimed to educate health and food service professionals about the nutritional benefits of Australian onions. The program provided evidence-based resources and tools to support health professionals in recommending onions as part of a healthy diet and encouraged food service professionals to use onions as a hero ingredient in their dishes.  

Challenge  

Australian adults consume significantly fewer onions compared to other countries, with an average intake of just 3g per day. Health and food service professionals, who influence the dietary habits of millions of Aussie consumers each year through direct consultations, public health programs and guidelines, media, and the food industry, had limited knowledge of onion nutrition and health benefits before the program. With Australians also spending around 30 per cent of their food and beverage budgets on eating out, food service professionals play a key role in shaping dietary choices both in venues and at home. There was a need to close this knowledge gap and encourage the increased use of onions in everyday meals and food service menus. 

Response 

The program delivered evidence-based information about Australian onions to heath and food service professionals, giving them the tools to assure patients and clients that onions are a healthy inclusion in their everyday diet and a hero ingredient in food service settings.  

To achieve this, it developed 33 educational assets, including health and nutrition reports, fact sheets, meal plans, research updates and videos, housed on a dynamic digital hub for easy access. These resources were downloaded over 9,660 times over the life of the program. 

To embed the knowledge and create advocates, the program incorporated multiple touchpoints, combining one-on-one engagement with over 2,010 health professionals at conferences, workshops with 165 chefs, and farm tours for 47 dietitians and chefs to educate, inspire, and encourage onion recommendation and usage. A database of engaged health and food service professionals was built for ongoing communication, and global research collaborations ensured access to the latest nutrition studies 

In total the program delivered a total of over 2.2 million touch points for health and food service professionals to see the program messages.  

Benefit  

The program significantly improved knowledge and usage of onions. Among health professionals (HPs), there was a 32 per cent increase in those who agreed onions are very important in supporting overall health and a 20 per cent increase in HPs able to correctly identify onions’ health benefits. Compared to figures prior to the program, there was a 7 per cent increase in HPs recommending onions to their patients once a week or more. 

In the food service industry, daily onion use increased by 120 per cent, and there was a 77 per cent increase in food service professionals who consistently feature onions as a hero ingredient in their meals. By educating key influencers, the program successfully boosted awareness, recommendation, and consumption of Australian onions.