Dr Kim Anastasiou

Dr Kim Anastasiou is a Lecturer in Nutrition within the Clinical and Health Sciences Unit at UniSA and a member of ARENA (Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity). Her work is focused on understanding and improving the health, environmental and equity of food systems. 

Kim holds expertise in sustainable food systems, public health nutrition and food systems advocacy and governance. When not lecturing at UniSA, she is conducting research with the team at Stretton Health Equity, within the University of Adelaide.

Kims holds a variety of past experiences which have enabled her to analyse, critique and influence the food system in Australia and globally. Her PhD research (Deakin University, 2023) investigated the environmental impacts of ultra-processed foods, looking at impacts within the context of the broader food system. This work has informed key global reports such as ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022’ (FAO, 2022), ‘Red and processed meat in the context of health and the environment’ (WHO, 2023) and ‘Nutrition and the environment – Nurturing people, protecting the planet’ (UN Nutrition, 2023). Additionally, her work has been cited in an internationally acclaimed book (Chris van Tulleken’s ‘Ultra-Processed People’, 2023), discussed by politicians in the UK, used as evidence for advocacy group position statements in Australia and the USA and resulted in various accolades and awards.

She formerly worked at the CSIRO as a Research Dietitian on public health nutrition research projects, including the Australian Health Star Rating and Healthy Food Partnership. In this role, she also collaborated research projects which were among the first to measure the environmental impacts of Australian diets.

Kim is also an advocate for the transformative changes needed to create healthier, more equitable and more sustainable food systems. She is currently an executive board member of Healthy Food Systems Australia, working towards holistic food policy changes. She is also involved in the Global Food Sovereignty Movement, working towards the 2025 Nyéléni Global Forum - arguably the largest gathering of indepedent (conflict of interest-free) NGOs and grass-roots activist groups working on improve the health, sustainability and equitability of food systems across the world. Previously, Kim has held the roles of ‘Young Scientist’ for the UN FAO’s World Food Forum (2022-23) and ‘Youth Liaison’ for the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit (2021).  Kim is based in South Australia, but frequently collaborates with researchers and food system advocates across the world.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy Deakin University

• Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics Flinders University