Plus One Serve is proud to announce that Hon Anne Ruston MP – Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, and Liberal Senator for South Australia – has officially signed the Pledge for More Veg.
The commitment comes on the back of a farm visit last week, when Senator Ruston travelled to AE Cranwell & Sons alongside Lucy Gregg of AUSVEG to see Brussels sprout production firsthand. The visit was as much about people as produce: a chance for the Senator to stand alongside growers and signal her ongoing support for Australia’s vegetable industry.
Why this matters
Australia has a vegetable problem. Most Australians – and most Australian children – don’t eat enough of them. It’s a public health issue with real consequences, and it’s one that sits at the intersection of policy, primary production, and everyday habits at the dinner table.
That intersection is exactly where Senator Ruston brings something rare to the table. Before entering the Senate, she was a primary producer and irrigator in South Australia’s horticulture sector. She understands, from the ground up, what it takes to get vegetables from paddock to plate – and what’s at stake for growers when demand doesn’t match supply.
By signing the Pledge for More Veg, Senator Ruston is doing more than making a symbolic gesture. She’s drawing a direct line between national health outcomes and the viability of the producers who grow the food in the first place. Her support for the Plus One Serve program reflects a growing recognition that fixing Australia’s vegetable consumption isn’t just a job for dietitians and health campaigns – it needs policymakers, growers, and industry all pulling in the same direction.
What the Pledge for More Veg means
The Pledge for More Veg is a call to action for organisations across the food system – from health bodies and policymakers to community businesses and everyone in between – to commit to lifting vegetable consumption across the country. Every signatory adds weight to a simple, shared goal: making an extra serve of veg a normal part of how Australians eat.
Senator Ruston’s signature adds political and regional credibility to that mission. It shows that support for vegetable consumption isn’t confined to one side of politics or one part of the food chain – it’s a shared national interest, backed by people who understand both the health stakes and the realities facing growers.
Get involved
Plus One Serve is calling on organisations across the food system, health sector, policy space, and local community to join Senator Ruston and get behind the Pledge for More Veg. Whether you’re a grower, a health professional, a policymaker, or a business with a stake in how Australians eat, there’s a role for you to play.
Reach out to Plus One Serve to find out how your organisation can sign the pledge and be part of the movement to close Australia’s veg gap. 🤝🥦
