Sugar-reduction success in Mimili

Outback Stores’ nutrition team attended the National Preventive Health Conference in Darwin (30 April – 2 May 2024), alongside Mimili Maku Store’s chairperson Rex Tjami. The conference was hosted by the Public Health Association of Australia and brought together people from around the country to talk about preventive health, with the theme being ‘Building prevention success stories’.

Rex Tjami and Anna Murison (Outback Stores’ Health and Nutrition Manager) were invited to present the Mimili Maku sugar reduction policy and to tell the story of how the community removed all full-sugar soft drinks from sale.

It became clear that Rex and the store directors in Mimili are true trailblazers, implementing the boldest strategy of its kind in a remote community today. This success story also demonstrates how partnering with Outback Stores can enable strong store governance and empower directors to make bold decisions to reduce health problems in remote communities.

The nutrition team and Rex received overwhelming positive feedback, with many people expressing how much they valued having a community voice present to share their story. The nutrition team looks forward to showcasing other good news health stories highlighting the collaboration between Outback Stores and remote store directors.

Hear Rex Tjami speak about Mimili’s sugar-reduction strategies on YouTube.