Our life depends on good food that's nourishing for ourselves and the planet. The stakes are really high, so we've gotta do it well.
Dr Stephanie Godrich
Senior Lecturer in Nutrition, Edith Cowan University
About This Episode
In this episode, Matt speaks with Dr Stephanie Godrich — Senior Lecturer in Nutrition at Edith Cowan University, Registered Public Health Nutritionist, and the driving force behind the Food Community program of work in Western Australia. Stephanie unpacks what food systems actually are — the interconnected web of production, distribution, consumption and waste that shapes our health, economies and communities — and why so many organisations are doing food systems work without realising it. She grounds the conversation in two WA examples: the Food Community work, which has mapped, evaluated and strengthened 170 food security initiatives across every region of the state, and the newly funded food action groups now getting underway in the Wheatbelt and Central Great Southern. It's a generous, practical conversation that lands on her advice for anyone doing this work: get listening, get curious, and get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Key Takeaways
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1
Think in interconnections, not isolated parts
Food systems span everything from production through to distribution, consumption and waste — and they're entangled with housing, economic and health systems. A drier season can lower yields, raise prices and shift what families eat; food rotting in landfill feeds back into the climate pressures that destroy crops. Good work starts by seeing the whole picture, not one component.
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2
Language is the key to connecting the dots
Many organisations and government departments insist they don't 'do' food systems — yet their decisions on transport, planning, housing and zoning shape them every day. Finding tangible, shared language for systems change is ongoing work, and it's up to all of us to help make the links visible.
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3
Map first, then look for small achievable tweaks
The Food Community work started by simply finding out who was doing what, where — then evaluated 170 initiatives against systems change characteristics and co-designed 41 action plans. Rather than asking organisations to overhaul how they work, it focused on small, feasible shifts that springboard off what's already happening.
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4
Communities already have the answers — act on them
Communities are fatigued by consultation that never translates into action. WA's first food action groups were designed around what communities said they wanted — from healthier public meals to on-country bush tucker programs and a local food hub — and are now delivering exactly what was asked for.
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5
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
Food systems constantly change, and this work is deeply relational and slow. Sit with the uncertainty, hold your approach loosely, and keep adapting to communities' evolving needs rather than staying wedded to a fixed plan or outcome — it's a long game, and one worth playing well.
Topics Covered
Resources Mentioned
- Food Community — ECU's program of work mapping, evaluating and strengthening food security initiatives across WA, including a searchable initiative directory and one-page case studies
- Transforming Food and Agriculture Through a Systems Approach — Stephanie's recommended read on moving beyond business as usual (FAO, 2025)
- Amity Health — the local not-for-profit partnering with ECU to deliver WA's first food action groups in the Wheatbelt and Central Great Southern
- Healthway — WA's health promotion foundation and founding funder of the Food Community work and the food action groups
- Minderoo Foundation — supporter of the Food Community program
- Foodbank WA — where Stephanie established the regional health promotion strategy across 2.5 million square kilometres of WA
- Regen Melbourne — one of the Victorian groups with a strong food systems focus mentioned in this episode
About Stephanie
Dr Stephanie Godrich
Senior Lecturer in Nutrition, Edith Cowan University
Dr Stephanie Godrich is a Senior Lecturer in Nutrition in the School of Medical and Health Sciences at Edith Cowan University and a Registered Public Health Nutritionist with nearly two decades of experience across community nutrition, research and regional health promotion — including establishing Foodbank WA's regional strategy across the state. She leads the Food Community program, which has mapped, evaluated and strengthened 170 food security initiatives across all of Western Australia's regions, and is now partnering with Amity Health to establish WA's first community-designed food action groups.
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