Malnutrition Week ANZ 2026 | Dietitian Connection

14–18 September 2026

The many faces of malnutrition

Recognise. Collaborate. Act.

Day

Hour

Minute

Second

Share your activity to win

Make a pledge

Resource library

Partners

Across settings

From community and home to hospitals and aged care.

Across the lifespan

Anyone who is unwell, has a reduced appetite or struggles to eat well can be at risk.

Across professions

Everyone has a role in identifying and acting early.

Proudly supported by

New resources just added

This year we've added two new resources straight from your requests: a quick-reference flyer showing how each member of the care team can help spot and manage malnutrition, plus a meal tray mat you can place directly in front of patients to support their appetite and recovery.

View both resources here

Meal tray mat, your meals are part of your recovery

Resources

Everything you need

Guides, screening tools and handouts to use across your setting.
Free to download, use and share.

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Guide · PDF

Complete Guide

Everything you need to get involved, with ideas, inspiration and practical tools to help raise awareness and drive change.

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FOR PROFESSIONALS

HCP resources

Flyers, posters and planning tools to help your team spot the signs of malnutrition, plus real campaign stories for inspiration.

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FOR PATIENTS

Patient resources

Easy-to-share resources for patients and carers, from food fortification and protein tips to maximising the grocery basket.

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SHARE THE MESSAGE

Social media resources

A library of 40+ social tiles with ready-to-use captions, including adult and paediatric options in multiple formats.

Wednesday

September

Bridging cognition & nutrition through collaborative care

Join our Malnutrition Week ANZ Masterclass as geriatrician Dr Desmond Graham and researcher Associate Professor Sandra Iuliano discuss the overlap between cognitive decline, frailty and malnutrition.

Supported by Nutricia

We're hitting the road

This Malnutrition Week ANZ, the Dietitian Connection team is out visiting sites across Australia, meeting the people doing this work day in, day out. A big thank you to everyone who expressed interest in being part of it. Expressions of interest have now closed, but we cannot wait to bring you stories and photos from the road.

"Brooke's visit to our facility brought hope and joy to my staff. It helped them feel important and identified and acknowledged the vital work they do everyday in preventing and treating malnutrition."

A 2025 host site

The numbers behind the week

1 in 3

adult hospital patients affected¹

15%

of children in hospital affected²

2 in 5

aged care residents affected³

21 days

longer in hospital⁴

$9 billion

annual cost of malnutrition in aged care⁵

The library

Catch up on malnutrition

Webinars, symposiums and podcasts from past Malnutrition Weeks.

Symposium · 2025

Strengthening nutrition care across settings

Explore how dietitians can lead stronger malnutrition care across aged care, community and hospital settings.

Podcast · 2025

Inspiring action on the many faces of malnutrition

Nadia Obeid shares how her team turned Malnutrition Week into an organisation-wide movement.

Symposium · 2024

50 years of research, where are we now?

Commemorate five decades of research and delve into cutting-edge strategies for enhancing patient care.

Dietitians and nurses preventing delirium webinar

Webinar · 2023

Dietitians & nurses: Preventing delirium through improved nutrition care

Learn how dietitians and nurses can collaborate to improve nutrition care for those with, or at risk of, delirium.

Symposium · 2022

Malnutrition under the microscope

From nutrition assessment and auditing to disease-specific malnutrition and barriers to good nutrition in the community.

Webinar · 2022

Collaboration in the kitchen

A Q&A session between chefs and dietitians to uncover tips on working together to get the best outcomes for their residents.

Podcast · 2022

Community malnutrition: what can we do?

Practical ways to spot and address malnutrition risk in older adults living in the community.

Competition

Get involved and WIN

Run at least one Malnutrition Week activity in your organisation, big or small, and tell us about it in our short survey. You’ll go in the draw for one of three $100 Mastercard gift cards or a dynamometer.*

Complete the survey

Hold your activity between 14–18 September 2026.

Complete the survey by 11.59pm AEST Friday 25 September 2026.

*Promoted by Dietitian Connection Pty Ltd ACN 155 488 565, PO Box 120, Mt Gravatt QLD 4122. Competition opens 14/09/2026, 12am AEST and closes 25/09/2026, 11:59pm AEST. Prize pool consists of 3 × Mastercard gift cards, valued at AUD$100 each (AUD$300 total) and 1 × dynamometer. To enter, host at least one Malnutrition Week ANZ related activity within your organisation during the week of 14th–18th September 2026 and complete survey by 11.59pm AEST 25/09/2026, open to dietitian residents of Australia only, employees of promoter ineligible. Winner/s will be notified by 02/10/2026 by email and results will be published 04/10/2026 in the Dietitian Connection e-newsletter. By entering, you consent to Dietitian Connection using photos and activity details submitted as part of your entry for promotional purposes. Read the full terms and conditions.

With thanks to our partners

Malnutrition Week ANZ 2026 is made possible by organisations who share our commitment to better nutrition care.
Below, our partners have shared a range of ways to support you during the week, from menu planners and recipes to samples and tools you can use with your clients.

Now in its sixth year supporting Malnutrition Week ANZ, Nutricia understands how much nutrition matters for those at risk of or living with malnutrition or early Alzheimer's disease, and the difference it can make to their independence and quality of life. Alongside the Fortisip Compact range, Forticreme Complete and Souvenaid, Nutricia offers education, resources and guidance to help dietitians put the evidence into practice.

Explore Nutricia's Malnutrition Hub

Download the Souvenaid evidence booklet

Nature One Dairy

Malnutrition Week ANZ is a timely reminder that protein and fibre needs don't decline with age, even as appetite and digestion often do. FortiPlus, from Nature One Dairy, is a low-GI nutritional milk powder formulated for adults 40 years and above, providing protein, fibre, DHA and essential vitamins.

Learn more and request samples

Enprocal®

Enprocal® and Enprocal Repair are nutritional supplements designed to support people at risk of malnutrition or with wound management. Proudly Australian-made, they're easy, everyday ways to help boost energy, protein, and L-Arginine intake. Explore the Enprocal range to see how it can support your clients this Malnutrition Week ANZ.

Share why you love Enprocal and Enprocal Repair to win one of five Enprocal & nutrition support gift packs

SPC ProVital

Struggling to open a pack shouldn't mean missing out on nutrition. SPC ProVital's fruit purees and diced fruit cups are designed to improve accessibility and aim to support reduced food waste.

Explore the packaging story, recipes and resources

Sustagen

What if boosting your patients' nutrition didn't mean changing what they already love to eat? For those who enjoy familiar meals but struggle with appetite, small tweaks can make a big difference. SUSTAGEN® Hospital Formula Neutral Flavour can be stirred into mashed potato, soup or porridge for a nutritional boost without altering the taste.

Access the full SUSTAGEN® recipe book here

Textured Concept Foods

Make Malnutrition Week ANZ menu planning easier with our new 4-Week Menu Builder and Menu Mapping Tool. Building nutritionally balanced menus, automatically calculating the value of every meal, and quickly identifying potential gaps provides dietitians with greater confidence while saving valuable time.

Contact Tyler Agnew to access the 4-Week Menu Builder

The Good Meal Co

The Good Meal Co recognises the importance of Malnutrition Week ANZ and the important role nutrition plays in supporting health, independence and quality of life. We believe everyone deserves the joy of a good meal. That's why we deliver nutritious, home-delivered meals straight to the door, with eligible clients able to access subsidised pricing through NDIS and Aged Care funding.

Find out how The Good Meal Co can support your clients through Aged Care funding

Interested in supporting Malnutrition Week ANZ? Let us know, we would love to hear from you.

REFERENCES

1. Baird J, Desneves K, Chapman B, Hughes R, Tuck C. Addressing malnutrition in Australian hospitals: a scoping review to inform systems thinking. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 2026;39(2):e70230. doi:10.1111/jhn.70230

2. White M, Dennis N, Ramsey R, Barwick K, Graham C, Kane S, Kepreotes H, Queit L, Sweeney A, Winderlich J, Wong See D, Littlewood R. Prevalence of malnutrition, obesity and nutritional risk of Australian paediatric inpatients: a national one-day snapshot. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2015;51(3):314-320. doi:10.1111/jpc.12709

3. O'Shea M-C, Bauer J, Barrett C, Corones-Watkins K, Kellett U, Maloney S, Williams LT, Osadnik C, Foo J. Malnutrition prevalence in Australian residential aged care facilities: a cross-sectional study. Healthcare. 2024;12(13):1296. doi:10.3390/healthcare12131296

4. Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Hospital-acquired complication 13: malnutrition. Sydney: ACSQHC; 2018.

5. Australian Government estimate of the annual cost of malnutrition in residential aged care, as cited in O'Shea M-C, Bauer J, Barrett C, Corones-Watkins K, Kellett U, Maloney S, Williams LT, Osadnik C, Foo J. Malnutrition prevalence in Australian residential aged care facilities: a cross-sectional study. Healthcare. 2024;12(13):1296.