The Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP
Minister for Indigenous Health
Free healthy food app dials up good tucker for remote Indigenous communities
A new mobile phone app has been launched which promises to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote areas make healthy food choices.
25 October 2017
A new mobile phone app launched today promises to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote areas make healthy food choices.
Minister for Indigenous Health, Ken Wyatt AM, said the Uncle Jimmy’s Good Tucker app was easy to use and a first for remote communities.
“Users simply scan the barcode of a product with their phone to see if it’s a healthy choice,” Minister Wyatt said.
“Once scanned, the app gives a ‘thumbs up’, ‘thumbs down’, or ‘thumbs sideways’ message, according to how healthy the product is.
“One of the app’s best features is that, once it’s downloaded, all the information is on your phone and there’s no need for the internet, so it’s ideal for people living in remote areas.”
The thumbs rating is based on the Government’s Health Star Rating system and the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
“The app is named in honour of legendary singer Jimmy Little, who established the Jimmy Little Foundation and dedicated much of his life to promoting better Indigenous health,” said Minister Wyatt.
“People in remote communities can face considerable food challenges, from the combination of limited supplies, particularly the difficulty in getting fresh fruit and vegetables, and limited storage.
“Uncle Jimmy’s app will complement our work to make good food more accessible in remote areas, through the Outback Stores scheme. The accredited stores provide healthy food cheaper than in other remote area stores and implement a nutrition strategy that includes health promotion activities and cooking demonstrations.
“Improving food choices is one of the most effective ways of helping close the gap in Indigenous health, with poor diet behind 10 per cent of diseases.”
The Good Tucker app was created by the Jimmy Little Foundation, in partnership with the Menzies School of Health Research, the University of South Australia and the George Institute for Global Health.
The app links with the Health Star Ratings system, which has more than 7,500 food products displaying the Health Star Rating logo.
Media contact: Nick Way