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An update to the Health Star Rating system goes into effect on Monday.
An update to the Health Star rating system goes into effect Monday, making it tougher on sugar and salt.
The system helped consumers make healthier food choices by showing the general nutritional benefits of packaged foods, said New Zealand Assistant Director General for Food Safety Vincent Arbuckle.
the Health Star Rating Scheme it is used in New Zealand and Australia to help consumers choose the healthiest product within a food category.
The scheme give food a score based on your nutrient profile, comparing the “negative” nutrients (energy, saturated fat, sugars, and sodium) with the “positive” ones (protein, dietary fiber, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes).
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The products are then classified into stars from 0.5 stars to 5 stars. Foods with more stars are healthier than similar foods with fewer stars; however, the stars are not intended to compare different types of food.
Introduced in 2014, the trans-Tasman system was improved after a 2019 review found it to be working well and suggested improvements to better reflect dietary guidelines.
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Key changes include lower ratings for products high in sugar and salt, including sugary breakfast cereals and fruit juices, and automatic five-star ratings for minimally processed fruits and vegetables.
“We heard that some people were having issues with the rating discrepancies and we listened to their concerns,” Arbuckle said.
“By using the latest and best science from a variety of experts and being stricter on sugar and salt, those issues have been addressed and the system is more robust.”
The changes meant consumers could be sure of making better decisions on the spot, he said.
All manufacturers participating in the opt-in system are now required to have updated their labeling to reflect the changes.
The Health Star Rating system remains voluntary, and the government does not charge to use it, but if manufacturer adoption falls short of the 70% target by 2025, the government will consider making the system mandatory.
As of mid-2021, more than 5,600 products in supermarkets had health stars on their labels, including both manufacturer and in-house brands at Countdown, Four Square, New World and Pak’nSave.
The next acceptance monitoring will be in November 2023, to assess progress against an interim government target of 50% of planned products displaying the stars.
