The George Institute submission on ‘Policy Guidance for Menu Labelling in Australia and New Zealand’

The George Institute has contributed to the public consultation of Policy Guidance for Menu Labelling in Australia and New Zealand. The consultation was set by Food Standards Australia New Zealand in response to ongoing concerns about inconsistency in national menu labelling regulations. Inconsistency of menu labelling can impact consumers’ ability to select healthier food choices.

The George Institute has previously suggested and continues to recommend the following reforms in menu labelling:

• Extend menu labelling to vending machines.
• Close known loopholes in legibility requirements in some jurisdictions.
• Ensure legislation is sufficiently flexible to accommodate new opportunities created by digital menus, self-service kiosks and online ordering systems, including those operated by third party delivery agents.
• Extend labelling requirements to incorporate interpretive elements such as the Health Star Rating.
• Invest in robust monitoring and evaluation, examining outcomes on both consumer behaviour and food business reformulation.

Improve synergies between menu labelling activities, the Healthy Food Partnership, and the Health Star Rating System to maximise their combined public health impact.