Packed full of antioxidants, Australian Native foods are going global | ABC News

Australia is famous for lamingtons and the beloved meat pie, but researchers want to transform our traditional cuisine to include native bush foods like Illawarra plums, pindan walnuts and wattleseed.
While Indigenous communities have long known the benefits of bush tucker such as bunya nuts, lemon aspen, riberries, desert limes and Cape York lilly pilly, the foods remain largely untapped for Australian's food industry.
The University of Queensland (UQ) and the Australia Research Council's Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods wants to change that and is working in partnership with Traditional Owners to turn the foods into branded products.
Centre director Associate Professor Yasmina Sultanbawa said the health and nutrition benefits of native foods was understudied.
The centre is a collaboration of local and international experts and scientists, as well as a cohort of PhD students, who will support Indigenous groups get native products to a commercial market.
Food scientists will provide research on composition, toxicity and safety, UQ's law school will assist with intellectual property, marketing and branding, and social scientists will monitor the impact on local communities.
Associate Professor Sultanbawa said the aim was to push the native foods industry forward to meet widespread demand.
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[@GiangTran-wb4qd]

This is great to understand more about traditional food in Australia, specially the effort to bring the positive outcomes for indigenous community.

[@hazelbarkpatisserie6577]

Would love to experience and use more native ingredients ❤️

[@Palifiox]

There are dozens of food producers in Australia producing honey, oils, jams, sauces, canned fruit, cordials etc but the major supermarkets will not stock them as the producers do not produce enough. Not even in the towns where the small producers operate.

[@mathewtoll6780]

Would love to see more of this stuff go to market

[@drpk6514]

The lady said the legal side of UQ is dealing with IP. This is very important when it comes to things related to aboriginal communities. One issue is the production level. Since these plants arent domesticated usually the yield is inconsistent and size of the fruits not market suitable. It takes a huge effort to domesticate a wild plant. One of the main milestones is the optimisation of growing conditions for farming. This itself takes years for a plant. However, there is a unique business opportunity especially for small to medium businesses to work in this space and profit from this niche market.

[@vadam4956]

The Australian natural fruits, berries are the bests in the world.

[@jameslennie3060]

And where can we get these plants/seeds so we can grow our selfs at home...

[@debbieann921]

Go to any nursery in Australia and ask for native Australian plants to grow in your own backyard. They are drought resistant, need very little attention and provide food and homes for native animals. They also look great.

[@yhliu6083]

That’s what I am asking. Garden Australia should give a special edition on these plants. Especially what should be planted in each state, their care and ect.

[@debbieann921]

The reason why Australia is slow to utilise our unique resources is because none of our governments ever have any vision. They are just a bunch of suits. Unless it makes money in the here and now, they are not interested. All our good ideas and inventions are ignored here and subsequently taken overseas and embraced by other countries. I find it really frustrating that our leaders are too stuffy and conservative to try anything new and instead copy ideas from other countries. We have a vast repertoire of talented people and unusual natural resources that our governments refuse to even look into unless it immediately makes money. Sometimes it takes time to develop new ideas and practices that our governments simply don't have the patience or inclination to try. I wish we had a leader like New Zealand's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. Could we clone her please? We promise to give the original model back.

[@kymvanderkaag1474]

We have so much which is unique; I know that making bread from acacia/wattle seed was important in the area I live. There will be much more traditional food to be discovered.

[@riverbullshark]

We need to stock them in stores

[@UFOhunter4711]

I managed to go to a restaurant with only native ingredients & it was really delicious. Ingredients need to be more widely available

[@aijazsolangifoodandreceipe4041]

Nice

[@ozwolfmate9543]

Abc allows comments who would've guessed

[@Littlebeechworthkitchen]

;)