Boost to public health as ministers move to make nutrition labelling mandatory in Australasia

A mandatory system ensuring every product carries a ‘Health Star Rating’ will help consumers make better food choices and drive manufacturers to improve their products –reducing diet-related disease and promoting better health.

Diet-related diseases – such as heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes and some cancers – are a serious and ongoing problem in Australia and carry a significant socio-economic cost, borne by government, families and individuals. Diet-related health impacts include:

• A 220% increase in type-2 diabetes over the last 20 years.ⁱ
• An increase in the proportion of Australian adults living with overweight and obesity from 57% (1995) to 66% (2022).ⁱⁱ
• Being overweight (including obesity) was the leading cause of disease burden (people dying early and living with illness) in Australia in 2024, accounting for 8.3% of disease and overtaking tobacco for the first time.ⁱⁱⁱ

The Health Star Rating system

Front-of-pack ‘Health Star Ratings’ have been in place in Australia since 2014, but the system is used inconsistently, with many manufacturers not displaying ratings on less healthy items.

A government review of the system in 2019 found that it worked well but concluded that manufacturers’ uptake of it should be strengthened. The review ruled that 70% of products would need to carry star ratings by 2025, if the system were to remain voluntary. Recent monitoring by government, The George Institute, and others, however, shows that manufacturers are extremely unlikely to meet the target by the required date.^{iv v vi}

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Our 2023 State of the Nation’s Food Supply report showed that only 36% of products were carrying health stars – down from 40% in 2019 – and that unhealthy products are those least likely to carry the rating. The findings clearly evidenced the failure of the voluntary system and strengthened calls for front-of-pack food labelling to be made mandatory.^vii

By: Dr Alexandra JonesFood Governance Program Lead

A decade of research and engagement

The case for mandatory health star ratings has been made in numerous policy forums and consultations, in meetings with food policy officials, and through the media. The George Institute has also actively contributed to strengthening the policy through direct participation on the Health Star Rating Advisory Committee, Technical Advisory Group, and Implementation Working Group.

The George Institute has also built a strategic relationship with Federal Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Ged Kearney – an active member of the Food Ministers’ Meeting and passionate advocate for Health Star Ratings. This key relationship has enabled The George Institute to provide ministers with robust evidence and analysis with which to evaluate the performance of the scheme and consider future reform.^viii

The George Institute and partners were therefore delighted with the announcement in July 2024 that food ministers would take steps to make Health Star Ratings mandatory. The Food Ministers’ Meeting instructed food regulators to start preparatory work so that regulation is ready for approval if manufacturers do not reach the 70% target by 2025.^ix

Potential impact

The potential impact of a mandatory labelling system could be far reaching. Food labelling has been identified by the World Health Organization as one of the best ways to improve health and tackle non-communicable diseases.^x Our research has already demonstrated the ability of Health Star Ratings to help consumers identify and choose healthier options,^xi and that a high-quality diet based on Health Star Ratings is associated with a lower risk of mortality.^{xii xiii} It’s also expected that the move to mandatory ratings will drive manufacturers to improve their products to achieve a better rating.

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The George Institute has had a sustained role as an independent monitor on the Health Star Rating scheme since its inception, and it’s really exciting to see our evidence being taken up and influencing policy.

The task now is to work with public health allies, Food Ministers and regulators to ensure the system works for consumers – supporting them to make healthier choices and enjoy better health and reducing the devastating impact of diet-related disease.

By: Dr Alexandra JonesFood Governance Program Lead