One of Australia’s most respected chefs, author and fourth-generation farmer Matt Moran AM has officially joined the national movement to encourage more Australians to eat more Aussie-grown vegetables as Ambassador for the Plus One Serve program.

Matt Moran officially joined the national movement as announced at Hort Connections in Adelaide in June, marking a new milestone for the national evidence-based program, designed to get every Australian eating one extra serve of vegetables each day by 2030. As Plus One Serve Ambassador, Matt is helping lead the Pledge for More Veg campaign, a national call-to-action encouraging individuals, supply chain operators, educators, institutions, health sector organisations, government and community groups to take practical steps to increase vegetable consumption across Australia, to ultimately support better national health and Australia’s vegetable growers.

Matt’s Paddock to Plate philosophy

Food has been Matt’s greatest passion for more than 40 years. Since opening his first restaurant at just 22 years old, Matt is now responsible for establishing some of Australia’s most iconic and longstanding restaurants. He has pioneered the food philosophy of Paddock to Plate in Australia, which encourages understanding of where ingredients come from and how they are produced. This philosophy is consistently put into practice in his restaurants, television programs and regenerative farming practices.

Matt is a fourth-generation farmer with a 1000-acre farm in the Central Tablelands (Moran Family Farm). Through his firsthand experience of the Paddock to Plate process, he sources great creativity from his relationship between land and table, fuelling his ambition to inspire household cooks and highlight the hard work of Australian farmers.

Speaking about his new role, Matt said joining the Plus One Serve movement as Ambassador was a natural fit, given his passion for food, farming. and sustainability.

“I’ve spent my whole career working with incredible Australian growers and producers,” said Matt.

“We all know Australians need to eat more vegetables, but this is also about backing the farmers and regional communities producing food every day.

“If we can get more people adding just one extra serve of veg to their meals, that’s a simple change that can make a real difference – for people’s health and for the future of Australian growers. That’s why getting behind Plus One Serve made a lot of sense for me.”

Matt’s alignment with Plus One Serve extends across his latest food security and sustainability ventures. Last year Matt partnered with OzHarvest to re-launch Good & Fugly, a NSW-based produce delivery enterprise on a mission to shape a food system that sustains farmers and reduces food waste. He’s also a partner in Saveful, which has also signed the Pledge for More Veg. Saveful is an app that helps people cook smarter with the food they already have at home, suggesting recipes based on what’s available in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Matt supports the great potential of the app to help reduce food waste.

AUSVEG Board

The Pledge for More Veg:
Driving national impact and action across sectors

Plus One Serve is an evidence-led, settings-based national program that works across the places Australians live, learn, work, shop and play to make eating more vegetables easier, more accessible and more appealing. By delivering targeted, research-driven initiatives where they can have the greatest impact, Plus One Serve is creating lasting change to increase vegetable consumption and improve the health of Australians while strengthening Australia’s vegetable industry.

At the heart of this work is the Pledge for More Veg – a national movement that brings together community organisations, philanthropic and corporate partners, food system leaders, health organisations and government to take meaningful action. Led by the Plus One Serve team at AUSVEG, the Pledge enables organisations to make a voluntary commitment and work collaboratively to develop a tailored action plan that supports one or more of four key impact areas: Health and Wellbeing; Equity and Access; Environment and Social Impact; and Growers and Supply Chain.

Every signatory’s commitment is publicly recognised, with progress and impact shared over time to inspire collective action and drive measurable change across the food system.

As Plus One Serve Ambassador, Matt Moran is encouraging organisations from across the food system, health sector, government and community to join the growing movement and help build a healthier Australia. The network of signatories continues to expand and already includes organisations and leaders such as Foodbank Victoria, Fresh Select, Fresh Markets Australia, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff, Senator the Hon Anne Ruston, and many more – all united by a shared commitment to helping Australians eat more vegetables.

Chef, author and fourth generation farmer Matt Moran AM.

Tackling the crisis:
Health benefits and economic impacts

Matt Moran’s role as Ambassador is particularly important as Australians are eating far fewer vegetables than recommended, with only a small proportion meeting daily intake guidelines. Encouraging Australians to eat just one extra serve of vegetables each day could deliver $4.7 billion in health and economic benefits, while supporting a vegetable industry facing rising costs, supply chain pressures and grower uncertainty.

AUSVEG CEO Michael Coote said increasing vegetable consumption was critical to ensuring a healthier Australia, and the long-term viability of Australia’s vegetable industry: “Australian vegetable growers are responsible for supplying 10,000 tonnes of fresh produce into the Australian market each day and 98 percent of the fresh vegetables consumed by Australians, so the industry is critical to Australia’s national health and food security.

“As vegetable growers nationwide are facing a perfect storm of viability-threatening challenges, there has never been a more important time to get more Australians eating more Aussie-grown
vegetables – for the good of their health, and the good of Australia’s vegetable growers.

“Matt Moran is one of Australia’s most respected voices in food, sustainability and farming, and his passion for Australian produce and commitment to supporting growers makes him the ideal Ambassador for Plus One Serve and the Pledge for More Veg.”

Supporting Aussie growers through meaningful action

Despite the significant challenges facing Australian vegetable growers, Aussie-grown vegetables continue to offer excellent value for consumers in a cost-of-living crisis, averaging around 74 cents per serve – cheaper than the 90 cent average for many unhealthy discretionary foods – and costing as little as 19 cents per serve for staple crops like carrots.

“Plus One Serve is founded on the belief that small actions at scale can drive extraordinary positive impact. Australians adding just one more serve of vegetables to their day will improve population health, reduce pressure on our healthcare system, and strengthen Australia’s vegetable industry,” Plus One Serve Managing Director Justine Coates said.

“Matt Moran joining as Ambassador is a powerful opportunity to amplify this message right across Australia, inspiring everyone to get onboard and take action to improve our daily vegetable consumption.”

As stated by Matt: “Signing the pledge means so much to me. It’s all about how one more serve a day will make a difference. Not just to you, your health but also the farmers. As a chef and restaurateur, I’m only as good as what I put on the plate… Without those producers and farmers, I would not be the person I am today.”

For Australian vegetable growers, increasing consumption is about more than improving public health. It is fundamental to the long-term sustainability and profitability of the industry. With influential advocates such as Matt Moran helping to drive awareness, Plus One Serve is seeking to turn consumer goodwill into meaningful action, creating stronger demand for Aussie-grown vegetables and supporting the growers who work every day to keep fresh produce on Australian tables.

FIND OUT MORE
To learn more about how you can sign the Pledge for More Veg reach out at info@plusoneserve.com.au or plusoneserve.com.au