Food ministers are on the verge of a pivotal decision that could reshape what you see in your local grocery store. This week, key representatives from Australia's food regulatory bodies will convene to discuss the potential implementation of mandatory Health Star Ratings for packaged foods, a move that could dramatically alter supermarket offerings.
According to insights from the program 7.30, a significant majority among the ministers is inclined to advance a plan aimed at establishing compulsory nutrition labels on all packaged food items. This meeting, which involves food ministers from both Australia and New Zealand, is set to take place this Friday.
The federal government, alongside five additional states and territories, has indicated its support for urging the food regulator to craft a formal proposal for enforcing this system. A final decision on the matter is anticipated within the next year.
Federal Assistant Health Minister Rebecca White expressed her disappointment regarding the food industry’s failure to meet its voluntary target of applying Health Star Ratings to 70% of packaged food and beverages by November 2025. "Current data reveals that only about 37% of products have adopted these labels in Australia, far short of what was expected," she noted.
White emphasized that the initiative aims to simplify the process for consumers, providing them with a clear front-of-package guide that highlights the nutritional content of the foods they purchase.
Professor Anna Peeters, CEO of VicHealth, stated that making these labels mandatory would establish a straightforward and trusted national standard, enhancing transparency across the food supply chain.
The Health Star Rating system allows food manufacturers to evaluate the nutritional quality of their packaged products based on a scoring system that assigns up to five stars, taking into account factors like sugar, salt, and saturated fat levels.
However, concerns have emerged regarding ultra-processed foods. Some public health specialists are advocating for a reevaluation of the rating algorithm to better reflect whether a product is ultra-processed—meaning it contains high amounts of industrially-produced ingredients such as emulsifiers, flavorings, and preservatives. Phillip Baker, a public health expert from the University of Sydney, argues that current loopholes in the system allow companies to manipulate ratings by boosting specific nutrient contents, which can mislead consumers about the overall healthiness of products.
Baker shared alarming examples where foods loaded with additives, despite being high in sugar, achieve misleadingly high ratings by artificially increasing protein content. His recent global study published in the Lancet Medical Journal labeled the rise of ultra-processed foods in diets as an "urgent public health threat." This extensive research, which analyzed over 100 studies, established a link between the consumption of these foods and an increased risk of various health issues, including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Strikingly, the findings revealed that ultra-processed foods constitute about 42% of the average Australian diet, placing Australia among the top nations globally in terms of consumption, trailing only behind the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Baker pointed out that many of these ultra-processed foods disguise themselves as healthy options, sneaking into people’s diets unnoticed.
In defense of these food products, Dr. Duncan Craig from the Australian Food and Grocery Council argued that food processing plays a critical role in making food safe, affordable, and accessible for consumers. He contended that categorizing foods solely based on their level of processing does not accurately represent their nutritional value.
A representative from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing explained to 7.30 that Health Star Ratings are computed by evaluating both positive and negative nutrients in foods. They noted that typically, ultra-processed foods, which tend to be high in energy, sodium, saturated fats, and sugars, receive lower ratings.
Associate Professor Alexandra Jones from the George Institute for Global Health echoed these concerns, stating that many existing loopholes within the Health Star Rating algorithm could be addressed by incorporating indicators of ultra-processing into the rating system. She pointed out that progress on updating the Health Star Ratings has been stymied by a lack of formal recognition of ultra-processing in broader Australian food policies.
However, change may be on the horizon: an expert panel at the National Health and Medical Research Council is currently reviewing new evidence regarding the health impacts of ultra-processed foods, prioritizing this issue ahead of the forthcoming release of new Australian Dietary Guidelines later this year. This revision marks the first update in 13 years.
