MARKETING & TRADE
Cracking new ground: Nuts for Life update
A heart-healthy partnership Nuts for Life has partnered with the Heart Foundation to highlight a daily nut habit as a simple, evidence-based way to improve heart health, as part of a healthy diet. The partnership includes a health professional webinar( scheduled for 19 March), alongside traditional and social media outreach, with most campaign elements launching in May to align with Heart Week( 4-10 May). David Lloyd, Heart Foundation CEO, has said that by joining forces with Nuts for Life, the Heart Foundation aims to encourage people in Australia to consume more nuts as part of a heart-healthy eating pattern. The announcement generated media interest, with interviews on ABC Radio Canberra, Ultra106.5 Tasmania, 2SM Sydney and others.
“ Nuts help keep us fuller for longer, lower cholesterol, help manage blood sugar levels, and reduce the risk of a whole range of chronic conditions.”
- Jemma O’ Hanlon, Heart Foundation dietitian, ABC radio Canberra Drive, February 2026.
Engaging stakeholders for a better
Health Star Rating system In February, Food Ministers from Australia and New Zealand agreed to move toward mandatory Health Star Ratings( HSR) on all packaged foods.
The move to make the HSR system mandatory could provide an opportunity to review the algorithm.
Nuts for Life has previously submitted feedback to FSANZ calling for an update to the HSR algorithm.
Nuts for Life’ s dietitians and the Heart Foundation mascot‘ Happy’.
The current algorithm, adopted in 2014, inadvertently penalises nuts and nut-containing foods by allocating‘ negative points’ due to their inherent energy and saturated fat content. Modest, evidence-based refinements to the HSR algorithm, as outlined in a recent research paper, would better align the system with contemporary nutrition science. And such adjustments could also:
- Help close the gap in nut intake, and
- Deliver meaningful public health and economic benefits. In the coming months, Nuts for Life will engage stakeholders – including the Public Health Association of Australia, which recently described the algorithm as‘ not perfect’ – to build support for a review of the algorithm.
Have you seen these new almond studies? The Nuts for Life dietitians monitor the nutrition and health science daily. Below is a snapshot of the findings of two newly-published studies on almonds.
1. Adding almonds linked to better diet quality: An analysis of US dietary data( from
Hort Innovation confirms support for Nuts for Life
Hort Innovation has confirmed its support for Nuts for Life for a further seven years, providing a strong foundation for delivering high-impact initiatives to increase nut consumption.
The decision follows a strategic planning workshop with industry and stakeholder representatives, including Tim Jackson and Mel Wyness from ABA, which helped shaped a new long-term roadmap for the Nuts for Life program.
4,333 children and 10,925 adults) found that adding- or swapping in- almonds improved overall diet quality. Adding almonds helped lower added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, while boosting protein, fibre, healthy fats, and key nutrients, of overall diets. The biggest benefits? Among children and young adults- two groups where improving dietary patterns can have a lifelong impact.
2. Daily almonds may improve blood pressure and cholesterol in pregnancy A clinical trial, of 103 pregnant women, found that eating almonds daily improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Women who ate 10g or 25g per day of almonds, across 12 weeks, had lower blood pressure and better cholesterol than a control group( no almonds). The 25g / day group had the biggest drops in total cholesterol( down 22.5 %), triglycerides( down 33.8 %), and“ bad” LDL cholesterol( down 27.3 %). See www. nutsforlife. com. au for all the studies.
Contact us: You can reach Nuts for Life on 02 9460 0111, or via email:
• Belinda Neville, Program Manager: belinda. neville @ nutsforlife. com. au
• Maree Hall, Digital and Communications Manager: maree. hall @ nutsforlife. com. au
Follow us on LinkedIn: www. linkedin. com / company / nuts-for-life
industry. australianalmonds. com. au
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