Purpose: In high income countries household food insecurity it affects between 10-25% of the population depending on income. There are three pillars; availability (foods are available for consumption either through production or purchase), access (foods are accessible economically and physically) and utilisation (resources are available to convert foods to meals). This presentation will explore the systemic changes needed across all socio-ecological dimensions in order to promote sustainable, healthy food choices for food insecure families.

Methods: Using the Global Systems Framework, a narrative review was undertaken to identify systemic dimensions that could directly influence the alleviation of household food insecurity in high income countries. The search strategy focused on articles published in English in peer‐reviewed journals during the past 10 years.

Results: Three key areas were identified:

Poverty reduction and sustainable livelihoods. Household food insecurity in high income countries largely affects those on lower incomes and particularly those receiving welfare. Welfare and food safety nets vary from country to country but ensuring adequate income and developing the means to build and maintain an adequate income are pivotal to accessing healthy diets. Focussing on this governance approach impacts on three of the global outcomes: social equity, human health and wellbeing and economic prosperity.

Alternative food systems that promote dignity. In most high income countries access to healthy foods is limited in disadvantaged areas, thereby limiting choice. Emergency food relief has arisen as a market-driven alternative food system that increases accessibility to low-value foods with a negative impact on health. Strengthening the influence of local government levers to enhance changes to food access and availability within macro- and meso-systems is necessary to ensure the right to food.

Developing individual agency. Essential to the utilisation pillar of household food security is building the capacity to enhance the food literacy of the population. A systems approach would be enhancing food citizenship across meso- and micro-systems.

Conclusions: A focus on these elements will change structures increasing the availability of healthy food, providing the means for families to access these foods and leading to agentic choice for food insecure households.

Purpose: Parents have been identified as the most important actors in affecting children's dietary behaviours, especially via food parenting practices. Families from lower socio-economic status (SES) tend to have a less optimal diet and less supportive home environment for healthy and sustainable eating compared to higher SES counterparts. Consequently, we need to identify interventions to improve food parenting practices in all SES families to change children's diets towards more healthy and sustainable patterns. Healthy and sustainable food choices of parents are a key antecedent for developing optimal food parenting practices, as food shopping constitutes a large portion of the food available at home and eaten by the family. However, insight is needed on how to change food choices in both lower and higher SES parents. This study will identify critical individual and environmental determinants of parental food choices.

Methods: Focus group research has been conducted with parents of 6- to 12-year-olds from lower and higher SES until data saturation has been reached. Recruitment of (merely) higher SES parents occurred through primary schools, lower SES parents were recruited through community healthy centers. Focus group sessions have been audiotaped and transcripts have been made. A qualitative inductive content analysis has been conducted by two independent researchers to guarantee the reliability of the study results, Nvivo version 12 was used for the data analysis.

Results: The results of the data analysis will be presented in the symposium.

Conclusion: This study will provide new insights into effective ways (which determinants to tackle?) to promote healthy and sustainable food choices among parents from all socio-economic backgrounds and thus create a more healthy and sustainable home food environment for their children. The study is unique for two reasons. To our knowledge, the determinants of parents’ food choices that fit within both a healthy and sustainable diet are currently unknown. Additionally, the socio-economic distribution of these determinants has not been investigated yet.

Purpose: An urgent transformation of our food system is required to sustain human and planetary health. This will require effective and equitable policy action to shift diets away from highly processed, pre-packaged foods. This presentation will describe a program of research examining socioeconomic differences in exposure to, and influence of, unhealthy and unsustainable food environments and the implications for policy and practice.

Methods: Systematic review of peer reviewed and grey literature examining the differential exposure and likely impact of food advertising to children according to socioeconomic position (SEP) or race and ethnicity; analysis of New Zealand panel purchase data, including >1.9 million food and beverage purchases; weekly data collection and analysis of online food and beverage price promotions for >3000 products across 52 weeks, available online at the two major Australian supermarkets; thematic analysis of 18 high-income country food policy strategies using Bacchi’s ‘What’s the problem represented to be?’ theoretical framework.

Results: Food advertising and the prevalence of price promotions were greater for foods and beverages known to be detrimental to human and planetary health compared to healthier and more sustainable food and beverage types. Lower income households were more likely to be exposed to, and engage with, these marketing practices. Whilst overarching food plans and/or strategies in many high-income countries acknowledged the importance of equitable food policy action, few demonstrated how equity goals can be sufficiently embedded within national actions.

Conclusion: Minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged children and households are disproportionately exposed to, and engage with, unhealthy and unsustainable food marketing practices. Political commitment and action to reduce these inequities is weak but urgently required if we are to witness the transformational change in our food system necessary to sustain human and planetary health.