Lunch box snacks misleading on sugar and health claims

They are convenient and marketed to kids, but lunch box snacks rarely carry a health star rating — to hide the fact they aren’t healthy. Now experts are calling for mandatory labelling.

Many school lunch box snacks promoted as “healthy” in some way would carry as little as one star — if they used the star rating system at all — exclusive research has revealed.

The analysis by the Obesity Policy Coalition has found many lunch box snacks often use claims such as “high in calcium” or “packed with real fruit” but don’t use the star system, which would reveal how they are unhealthy.

Next week the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation will meet to discuss changes to the health star rating system, with a coalition of 35 leading community, public health, medical and academic groups recommending the system be made mandatory.

The system, which was intended to help consumers make healthier choices, only appears on 30 per cent of eligible products.

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The recommendation is to keep the system voluntary but set a target of 70 per cent by 2023.

Jane Martin from the OPC said consumers are being conned by manufacturers.

“Lunch box snacks are designed for convenience and a lot of parents put them in their kid’s lunch boxes,” she said.

“They are very carefully designed and a lot leave out important information in terms of their healthiness by not using the health stars.”

Belinda MacDougall and her daughter Milla, 2, check out the labelling on different breakfast cereals. Picture: Peter Lorimer

Ms Martin said while companies such as Kellogg’s and Nestle include the health star rating system on their breakfast cereals, they intentionally leave them off their lunch box products.

Kellogg’s Coco Pops breakfast cereal carries a two star rating, but it is left off Coco Pops bars and the LCM’s range.

“Kellogg’s have put stars on some products but on this product they have just put percentage daily intake in the corner,” she said.

“I think they are hiding. I think people should be suspicious if a product isn’t carrying health stars, because it is probably unhealthy.

“That’s why we think the star rating system should be mandatory scheme across all products to improve health outcomes, not a marketing tool for companies to put it on their higher rating products and leave it off their less attractive products.”

Laura Bradley — with daughters Berry, 8, and Winnie, 7 — avoids putting any packaged foods in their lunch boxes. Picture: Dylan Robinson

Misleading marketing also includes claims like “fat free” and “low GI” on products that contain almost the same amount of sugar as confectionary, such as PJ Masks’ “lunch box friendly” snacks that are “99 per cent fat free” and “70 per cent fruit juice.”.

“It is 58 per cent sugar. Much of that sugar comes from juice but much the same way as sugar comes from cane, sugar from juice is still considered an added sugar and it doesn’t mean it is a healthy product. And look at the marketing with the free magnet, very kid-friendly, pictures of fruit on it, it’s appealing to kids as well as adults,” she said.

Newcastle mum of two Belinda MacDougall has started a petition to have added sugar clearly labelled on the front of the packs.

“We are busier than ever and they are making it deliberately confusing,” Mrs MacDougall, who is married to Sunday Telegraph columnist Adam MacDougall, said.

“You would not ask for six teaspoons of sugar in your coffee, but Up And Go has about that and we give it to kids.

“On the front it says high in calcium and protein and it’s wrong if you give this to your kids thinking it is healthy/”

Surry Hills mother of two girls Laura Bradley said she ensured her girls had healthy lunch box treats by avoiding all packaged foods.

“If they have a treat, it’s generally homemade. I think most parents find the packaged ones quite confusing,” the 37-year-old said.

Originally published as Lunch box snacks misleading on sugar and health claims