The Sanitarium Health Food Company, with its Australian headquarters at Berkeley Vale, is celebrating its 125th birthday by reaffirming its commitment to make a positive impact on the nation’s health.
Since 1898, Sanitarium has been nourishing Aussie families with affordable healthy foods, educating people to eat well and move more, and giving food to communities in need.
It began in a neighbourhood bakery in Northcote, Melbourne, after a small group of Seventh-day Adventists migrated from Battle Creek, Michigan bringing foods made by Dr John Harvey Kellogg for patients at his health institute.
In January 1898, Edward Halsey, who had trained with Dr Kellogg, began making the company’s first ready-to-eat cereals, including Granose wheat biscuits, a forerunner to Weet-Bix and Sanitarium Peanut Butter.
Sanitarium was registered as a business on April 27, 1898.
Within a decade, it had expanded to open health food cafes around Australia and had launched Australia’s first plant-based meat-alternative, Nuttose.
When the fledgling food company made its first profits in 1906, it donated them to support health education in the South Pacific Islands.
Sanitarium was the first to introduce breakfast cereals, pioneered innovative soy foods and promoted plant-based eating long before it became popular.
It is now one of the largest Australian-owned food companies, employing 1200 people across six Australian sites and exporting products to almost 40 countries, with its head office right here on the Central Coast.
“We believe healthier choices support the potential for every Australian to live a long and healthy life,” CEO Kevin Jackson said.
“Sanitarium was founded with the core purpose of helping Australians to eat well and live well.
“This purpose remains just as important today, particularly as families struggle with the growing impacts of lifestyle-related chronic diseases, food insecurity and cost-of-living pressures.
“That’s why we’re strengthening our commitment to make access to healthier choices easier for more Australians.
“We’ll do this through the affordable healthy foods we make, increasing our investment in health education, and by doing more to develop food and nutrition security for all.”
Sanitarium is one of Australia’s most trusted food companies with products including Weet-Bix, So Good and UP&GO found in two out of three households nationwide.
Ninety percent of its products carry a 4 to 5 Health Star Rating.
Leading dietician Shane Landon said the company had an enduring commitment to make great-tasting and convenient foods, that most importantly represent good value nutrition.
“Getting this balance right is critical in making a sustainable difference to the health of our nation,” he said.
He said the company’s iconic cereal Weet-Bix as was an example of the commitment in action.
“The nutritional impact of Weet-Bix can’t be under-estimated,” he said.
“Found in one in every two homes, it is a significant source of wholegrains in the Australian diet.
“In fact, one bowl of Weet-Bix (two wheat biscuits) provides 60 per cent of a person’s daily wholegrain needs, plus fibre, B vitamins and 25 per cent of their iron needs – from as little as 20 cents per serve.”
Sanitarium is also committed to giving back to the community.
Last year alone it donated more than 4.2 million serves through a network of charity partners, headlined by Foodbank Australia.
Entering its 22nd year, Sanitarium’s support for breakfast programs in Australian primary schools is one of the company’s most significant food and nutrition security initiatives.
Its production of healthy foods has gone hand-in-hand with its investment in health education.
“Our goal has always been to give all Australians access to the knowledge, resources and skills they need to make healthier choices,” Jackson said.
“In 1901 we opened Australia’s first health food cafes which served food education and cooking classes alongside nutritious plant-based foods.
“We shifted into more modern forms of education in the late 1980s with the formation of our Nutrition Education Service which published health research and produced health and food education materials for the community.
“In the decade that followed, we launched the Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon to lift physical activity rates among primary school aged children, with a nationwide event series held annually around Australia until 2020.
“Today, millions of Australians visit the Sanitarium website every year for dietitian-approved plant-based recipes and nutrition advice, and we’re excited to see our new partnership with Life Education improving the quality of healthy eating and physical activity education in Australian primary schools.”
Proudly serving goodness for 125 years. Learn more at www.sanitarium.com
Source:
Sanitarium Health Food Company