Neil Perry champions real food and takes aim at Ozempic
Neil Perry is showing no signs of softening his convictions. Speaking to The Australian ahead of his keynote at the Global Food Forum, the restaurateur behind Sydney's Gran Torino and Cafe Margaret delivered a characteristically direct take on modern eating — and the trends he believes are leading people astray.
Having watched dietary fashion cycle through margarine, trans fats and seed oils, Perry remains unapologetic about his preference for traditional whole foods. "If you eat fresh produce, you're going to be in good shape for the vast majority of your life, unless you're stricken down with some illness that comes from the side," he told The Australian.
He traces his allegiance to animal fats back to his roots. "I'm so happy that my father's a butcher and my three brothers were butchers because butter has just been so close to my heart, and extra virgin olive oil and all the really good fats. We now know a grass-fed butter is so good for us, and we know that frying chips in tallow is so much better than all the trans fat and seed oils; 15 years ago people were telling you this was really good for you."
With age, Perry says his focus has shifted to longevity. "I'm getting old, and the most important thing when you get old is muscle mass, balance and flexibility. They're the three things if you can take into old age and keep your mind then you're going to be in really good shape. And we know that eating beef is really good for that; eating high-quality grass-fed beef, you know."
It's a conviction that informs his sharp critique of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic. "Ozempic doesn't just waste fat, it wastes muscle. And that's one of the really bad things," he said. "And when I say muscle mass, I don't mean being big and fat and whatever. I mean, having good toned muscle on your bones and eating well so that your bones are in good health as well."
Perry said broader health consequences remain an open question. "You see what that stuff (GLP-1 medication) does and then you think, wow, what else is it doing to people, like the liver and heart?" Drawing a stark historical parallel, he told The Australian: "I think it's like the tobacco industry; in 25 years time everybody will be suing the shit out of them."
Perry also used the platform to advocate for hand-line fishermen he says are being displaced by industrial competitors off the Western Australian coast. "This more bespoke, hand-lining, you know, young guys who should be held up as really the best example of incredible, sustainable fishermen, they're the guys that should be championed," he said.
Jonathan Jackson, 18th March 2026
