Frankie Bell - Your Consumer Protection Advocate

I received a lovely letter this week advising me that the Consumer Protection Awards (WA) 2021 judging panel, have selected me as a finalist for the Rona Okley Award Category.

I was thrilled to be recognised as a finalist for many reasons that I will share with you shortly. First, let’s get you up to speed (for those that aren’t aware) about what the awards are and what they represent.

About the Consumer Protection Awards

The Consumer Protection Awards is an opportunity to “recognise and reward the achievements of those who help communities understand and have better access to consumer protection in everyday situations.”

This work can take many different forms including:

Raising awareness of consumer rights
Championing the cause of disadvantaged and vulnerable consumers
Making a significant contribution to policy formulations; and
Developing outstanding promotion and education programs on consumer protection issues.

Award categories

There are four award categories, three of which have been named after Western Australian consumer protection pioneers.

The Rona Okely Award “acknowledges an individual Western Australian who has influenced and inspired consumer protection in their community. They have given their time, energy and experience to help others and are a positive role model for those involved in the public..”

Nominees must be an individual who can demonstrate a significant achievement, contribution and commitment to protecting Western Australian consumers.

What does this mean for our AFK Community?

I am delighted that as a finalist, our movement is going to be showcased on a larger stage. More Australian parents will have the opportunity to learn about the impact additives can have on our most vulnerable – our kids.

Since 2014, collectively, as a community, we have realised many important achievements:

created the first Additive Free Marketplace Directory (online) in Australia
became your representative to the Global Anti Additive Association (Asia Pacific Region)
initiated the first additive free endorsement trial in Perth supermarkets, reviewing thousands of fast moving packaged goods in an Australian first initiative
developed an online 6 week coaching program to inform and educate parents
created the Additive Free Advocates membership to provide consumers the information they are seeking to make informed decisions in the supermarket.

We have achieved a lot…but there is a lot more to do!

This work is important as Australia is in the midst of a children’s health care crisis. Obesity, ADHD, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, learning difficulties, autism, asthma, type 2 diabetes, food allergies plague our children. Unless action is taken, the health of our children will continue to decline.

There are many issues with our current food regulation system:

Consumers health must come before industry interests (health before profits)

Accountability – FSANZ should be given the appropriate enforcement capabilities to ensure its standards are met
Transparency – Consumers have the right to know what they are eating. FSANZ should be given the powers to require this information is provided by manufacturers.
FSANZ independence is required, free from industry influence and profits. The current system is inherently flawed.

This work is especially important for our children as:

reactions / complaints to our food are not currently monitored or recorded
acceptable daily intake levels of additives are not set for children (they have weaker blood brain barriers)
additives are not tested on our gut microbiome. Changes in our gut microbiome indicate potential issues
additives are not tested for long term impacts prior to being approved for use in our food supply
additives are not tested in combination (only individually). They have a greater impact when they interact with each other.
foods with additives prohibited for infants should be labelled so as to alert parents.

Our grass roots movement is united and being heard

Through our product reviews, parents are equipped with the information they need to make informed decisions. Reviewing products on your behalf, I am able to cut through the marketing spin and reveal the deception that often occurs behind the marketing campaigns.

When consumers are empowered with this knowledge, they go out and vote with their dollar. The most shocking revelations from these reviews have seen products removed from supermarket shelves (Coles, Woolworths) as sales plummeted (the most recent example being Rosella’s Honest Kids tomato sauce – you can see our review here).

As our community members become more confident and knowledgeable in this area, this has a ripple effect into:

social circles (family and friends including sharing petitions)
day care centres – our RESET participants want to see change in their centres
schools and their canteens – Additive Free Advocates are joining P&C’s, volunteering in the school canteens championing for change to real food alternatives and removing food rewards from our classrooms
sporting clubs – advocates are championing for healthier alternatives for our kids – ditching the lollies for fresh fruit instead.

Through the efforts of this community and each of our advocates we have seen these organisations making positive changes for their members all whilst benefiting our kids. It is amazing to see the ripple effect.

Imagine what is possible when more Australian parents are educated about the impact additives can have on their children!

Regardless of the outcome of the 2021 Consumer Protection Awards, being selected as a finalist is a huge honour and achievement for this whole community. I will update you in April with the results from the presentation ceremony.

Upate:

Consumer Protection Awards April 2021

It is with great honour and pride that I represented the AFK Community at the Consumer Protection WA Awards and accepted the prized Rona Okely Award.

Receiving this awards was lovely external recognition for our grass roots movement and all that we stand for.

Collectively, we advocate for the most vulnerable – our children, so that parents can be made aware of the harmful impact additives can have on our children’s long term health and / or behaviour.

Together we cut through the green labelling and marketing tactics so that you can make informed decisions in the supermarket. Wherever you are at on the additive free journey we have resources to assist you. These resources have been created in response to the AFK Community feedback.

We have a long way to go to achieve our mission in making additive free food available for anyone, anytime, anywhere…but we are making great progress!

Keep voting with your dollar…we are making an impact. As mentioned previously, winning this award on behalf of the AFK Community elevates our grass roots movement to a wider audience, creating more awareness.

You can find out more on the coverage of the Consumer Protection WA Awards here:

https://vimeo.com/consumerprotectionwa