
Mandy Sacker
Australian paediatric nutritionist, bestselling author, and founder of Real Food Rating; leading expert in childhood nutrition and food policy reform.
3
APPEARANCES
1
PODCASTS
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Jul 16, 2026
Full Show: 4BC Afternoons with Carla Bignasca, July 16th, 2026
15:03
15:21
20:06

Karla BignascaHOST
But is there any conversation, Mandy, around why we need these sorts of pesticides? Is it to prolong the life of the produce? Is there any conversation around that? So when we look at berries,

Mandy SackerGUEST
So, you know, what we need to look at is more funding to look at different ways, I guess, of better farming principles.

Karla BignascaHOST
for anyone who's listening today, how confident should we be? What are some things that we can do to reduce pesticide exposure in terms of washing or what can we actually achieve?
Are your berries safe? How proposed chemical limit changes are raising red flags
3:49
3:54
C
3:36CarlaHOST
But is there any conversation, Mandy, around why we need these sorts of pesticides? Is it to prolong the life of the produce? Is there any conversation around that? So when

Mandy SackerGUEST
we look at berries, they are a little more susceptible to the weather and to pests.

Mandy SackerGUEST
So, you know, what we need to look at is more funding to look at different ways, I guess, of better farming principles.
C
8:40CarlaHOST
for anyone who's listening today, how confident should we be? What are some things that we can do to reduce pesticide exposure in terms of washing or what can we actually achieve?
Full Show: 4BC Afternoons with Carla Bignasca, June 24th, 2026
56:55
57:04
57:10
57:19
57:37
61:27

Mandy SackerGUEST
after having a baby, I spent a lot of time and also my background was researching products for one of the world's largest treatment and prevention programs.

Mandy SackerGUEST
And I was also Australia's first chief nutrition officer in the childcare space.

Mandy SackerGUEST
So what prompted me to really start calling this out publicly was that my following on social media was growing.

Mandy SackerGUEST
And what I was seeing being served in canteens and even in daycare centers to babies, to one-year-olds, two-year-olds, I knew nutritionally we're exceeding sodium intake and we're giving them chemicals that are actually banned in foods for infants and children in many other countries.

Mandy SackerGUEST
So that's when I went onto social media and I first began calling out Vegemite because it is an iconic Australian staple and a lot of families are having it on a daily basis.

Karla BignascaHOST
I guess then, would you personally see the launch of Vegemite Kids as a sort of validation of some of the concerns that you've been raising? Or do you think it's more about changing consumer preferences or both?