Australia may mandate health star ratings on packaged foods as voluntary measures fail

Australia is going to propose making health star ratings on food products mandatory next week at the Food Ministers Meeting, which oversees and is responsible for the food regulation system in Australia and New Zealand. 

At the 2020 iteration of this meeting, the ministers said they would consider requiring the rating system if the voluntary system failed to reach 70% of products by 2025.

According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) data, only 37% of the country’s food products displayed a health star rating. The government points out this declined from the 41% recorded in 2019. 

Assistant minister for Health and Aged Care at FSANZ, Rebecca White, says: “Requiring all packaged food products to display a health star rating is a sensible next step that will enhance consumer choice.”

“We know many Australians want to make healthier choices at the supermarket but don’t have time to read through complex nutritional tables or ingredients lists.”

Boosting consumer health decisions

The government states it is committed to ensuring Australians can access the information needed to make healthy choices through the health star ratings.

“Putting health star ratings on all products will ensure all shoppers can quickly and easily compare the different options on supermarket shelves,” says White. 

“I’m hopeful that Food Ministers from across Australia and New Zealand will support this important public health initiative.”

According to the government, requiring all foods to carry the health star rating will level the playing field for all producers while supporting consumers’ health choices.

Additionally, it will continue monitoring the effectiveness of how health star ratings are calculated and will make changes as required. The rating system is only meant to be used as a “basic” guide.

Next week’s meeting will reveal whether health star ratings will be made compulsory, along with implementation advice.

However, a US front-of-pack study found no evidence that such labels improved food intake, diet quality, or obesity rates.