A growing appetite for Australian native bush foods

Did you know Kakadu plum has the highest Vitamin C content of any food on Earth? Yet only 10% of Kakadu plum is currently being harvested.

This super food is an Australian native bush food of which there are more than 6,000 edible plant species. The Acacia “wattle” species is another example of native bush foods which are found across Australia. Of the 1,146 species identified, at least 150 species have been used by Indigenous Australians for thousands of years as food, medicine or materials for tools and weapons.

For more on native bush foods and its growing popularity go to the AgriFutures Australia’s Emerging Industries Program: https://agrifutures.com.au/rural-industries/emerging-industries/

In this week’s podcast we meet Hayley Blieden, founder of The Australian Superfood Co who is helping cultivate a growing appetite for Australian native foods.

According to Hayley, Australians once thought of native foods as lamingtons and vegemite, but the national appetite has come to understand and appreciate that native bush foods are so much more.

The popular television program Masterchef showcased some of Hayley’s products in 2020 and the rest, as they say is history.