Health star rating system fails to make us shop more wisely

While the health star rating system is liked by consumers, less than a third of eligible products display the stars, so experts are calling for it to become mandatory to encourage healthier choices.

Health star ratings on foods should be mandatory as unhealthy foods often don’t display the stars on their labels, a new study has found.

Less than one-third of eligible products display the five-star rating, with three-quarters of these scoring three or more stars, a George Institute for Global Health study shows.

The research, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health this month, shows the federal government rating scheme is liked by consumers but hasn’t led to healthier purchases.

Lead author, public health lawyer Alexandra Jones, said labels needed to more clearly “spell out whether a product is good or bad for us”.

“Right now, most unhealthy products simply don’t have the health star rating being displayed on them. In fact, some products high in salt, sugar and fat are scoring too highly by loopholes in the algorithm,” Ms Jones said. She said it was “critical the review address both of these concerns in order to deliver a system that works for consumers, not just for food companies”.

Lilly Munro with her children, Lennox, 3, and Leo, 6. Picture: Jason Edwards

The rating system is under review by the federal government, which will examine whether the rating should apply to fresh fruit and vegetables and better reflect the high salt levels of some processed meats and salty snacks. Also under review is the rating’s method of dealing with sugar, given that breakfast cereals with more than one-quarter sugar can receive health ratings of more than 3.5.

Health experts have long argued for changes in the system, pointing out that a product like Kellogg’s Nutri Grain cereal gets four stars even though it is one-quarter sugar.

Further research led by public health advocate ­Michael Moore, published in the same journal this month, shows food industry groups have challenged efforts to improve nutrition information when such moves compete with commercial interests.

The George Institute is calling for the rating system to be mandatory, and changed to penalise products with added sugar and high-salt content.

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The analysis comes as take-up of the star system continues to increase. It has been displayed on more than 10,000 products in Australia since 2014.

Brighton mum Lilly Munro doesn’t rely on the star ratings because she thinks they are ­inaccurate. “I am more inclined to go on my intuition as a mother and own health knowledge than the stars on the packet,” she said.

“You just have to look at products like chocolate balls which have four stars but as much sugar as Coco Pops.

“It’s absurd.”

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Originally published as Health star rating system fails to make us shop more wisely