{"id":484055,"date":"2026-02-16T17:25:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T17:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/484055\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T17:25:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T17:25:08","slug":"australia-nz-ministers-push-for-mandatory-health-labels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/484055\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia, NZ ministers push for mandatory health labels"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A shopper in a Woolworths supermarket on 5 September 2024 in Sydney, Australia. Credit: James Gourley\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Food ministers in Australia and New Zealand want the countries\u2019 voluntary Health Star Rating labels made mandatory.<\/p>\n

In a meeting on Friday (13 February), the ministers said a report to monitor the use of the labels had shown an \u201cuptake\u201d of 39% in Australia and 36% in New Zealand. The governments have been targeting to have 70% of the \u201cintended products\u201d using the Health Star Rating labels by November.<\/p>\n

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The Health Star Rating scheme, launched in 2014, scores the nutritional profile of packaged products on a scale from 0.5 to five stars.<\/p>\n

\u201cMinisters expressed concern that the low uptake has limited the system\u2019s effectiveness and undermined consumer trust,\u201d a statement released after the meeting read.<\/p>\n

\u201cMinisters also considered consumer research showing strong support for the HSR, but persistent misunderstandings about how to use it \u2013 particularly that the HSR is only intended for comparing similar products.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2024,\u00a0the\u00a0industry had\u00a0been warned<\/a>\u00a0the voluntary system would be made compulsory if targets were not met.<\/p>\n

The countries\u2019 ministers have agreed, \u201cby majority\u201d, to ask Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to develop a proposal to make the labels mandatory.<\/p>\n

Early preparatory work by FSANZ found \u201cno regulatory barriers\u201d to mandating the scheme, subject to statutory requirements, according to the statement.<\/p>\n

FSANZ is now expected to run two rounds of public consultation before providing a report back to ministers, who will then make a final decision. The next ministers\u2019 meeting is scheduled for May.<\/p>\n

The Australian Medical Association backed the idea, with its president Danielle McMullen saying: \u201cMaking health star ratings mandatory is a win for consumers and a clear acknowledgment that voluntary approaches have failed.<\/p>\n

\u201cClear, consistent labelling empowers people to make informed choices about what they are eating, and that matters when rates of overweight and obesity continue to climb across Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Industry group The Australian Food Grocery Council (AFGC) said \u201cgenuine consultation with industry will be essential, along with a practical and realistic implementation timeline\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMandating HSR will have significant operational, labelling and supply chain implications for food and grocery manufacturers, and careful planning will be critical to support a smooth transition,\u201d the council added.<\/p>\n

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