Citrus rating stuns industry

A new star-rating scale making diet coke healthier than fresh juice has left the industry reeling, writes Nathan Hancock.

AUSTRALIA’S citrus growers have been left scratching their heads as the boffins behind the Health Star Rating system kick an own goal with bewildering advice to the Australian consumer.

Our national HSR system considers a glass of diet coke “healthier” than a glass of fresh orange juice with no added sugar.

Under the revised system announced on Friday, fresh Australian orange juice will no longer receive a Five-Star rating, the highest available.

Instead, juice packed with vitamin C, potassium, folate, magnesium and antioxidants, will likely receive two or 2½ stars.

That’s because the HSR system has a laser-like focus on eliminating sugar from the population’s diet, without regard to the overall nutritional value of the food.

Orange juice contains complex natural sugar, and its nutritional value has earned it a place in the “eat more of” category of the Australian Dietary Guidelines as a substitution for a whole piece of fruit in the diet.

Under the revised HSR system a glass of diet coke will receive four stars.

It is manufactured, there’s no nutritional value, and artificial substances reduce its sugar content.

This suggests to Citrus Australia and the growers it represents that the HSR system is misguided.

We believe the federal and state ministers on the Forum on Food Regulation that oversee the system must ask themselves: Are we promoting healthy nutritious diets, or simply less sugar?

With an annual decline in the number of Australians eating the recommended intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, it would seem an inappropriate time to discourage alternate sources such as fresh juice.

One 125ml glass of fresh orange juice has half the recommended daily intake of vitamin C, which boosts the immune system.

Potassium reduces blood pressure and folate is important for pregnancy.

Last Friday, the federal, NSW and South Australian governments proposed that fresh juice receive a four-star rating to acknowledge its nutritional value.

The other state governments, including Victoria (a large citrus state), voted against this.

We ask them to reconsider before the current version of the HSR system is implemented.

● Nathan Hancock is Citrus Australia chief executive

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