On 27 June, food and health ministers from federal, state and territory governments gave their final sign off on the new health star front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme.
The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) was quick to applaud it. It was also quick to bring to light that it considered the new Health Star Rating (HSR) system a work in progress.
“The improved design of the Health Star Rating scheme, flexibility around its introduction and acknowledgement that it can coexist with existing front of pack schemes such as the Daily Intake Guide and the Heart Foundation Tick, are significant improvements,” stated AFGC chief executive, Gary Dawson.
He added that the AFGC has been a strong supporter of clear front of pack nutritional information to better inform consumer choice, pioneering the Daily Intake Guide, which now appears on more than 7000 products.
The new HSR is to be voluntary, another factor that the AFGC endorses, “In addition there is acceptance that it can be expensive for cash strapped companies to adopt major labelling changes and therefore a voluntary approach with an extended five year implementation period has been adopted.
“Ultimately it will be up to food companies to assess the scheme and determine whether or not they adopt it.”
The ministerial council acknowledged that the new system is not perfect. It stated that further work is required, for example, where a star rating may be inconsistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines or when used to make comparisons across categories.
“The AFGC absolutely supports the right of companies to make their own assessment given ongoing concerns about aspects of the calculator used to determine a food’s star rating, and anomalies with respect to some food categories,” Dawson stated.
Monster Health Food is the only company that has already adopted the health stars on its packaging.
Sanitarium has committed to adopting the new system across its entire product range, including Weet-Bix and Up&Go.
“We know consumers are interested in nutrition information and that this is a major factor when selecting food products. Currently, comparing nutrition values between products takes time and can be confusing. The Health Star Rating system is a practical way consumers can be equipped with the relevant information they need when making healthy choices for themselves and their family,” said Todd Saunders, general manager, Sanitarium Australia.
In its media statement, Woolworths said that it will adopt star ratings for its own brand ranges including the thousands of Homebrand, Select, Macro and Gold products.
“Labels will be redesigned and packaging changed and Woolworths will work to ensure that this is done quickly without causing disruptions to our customers and our growers and suppliers.
“The front-of-pack label will include a star rating from one to five determined by the federal government. For most products it will also include levels of four key components of kilojoules, saturated fat, sugars and sodium all per 100g allowing customers to compare between different products.”
