If health campaigners get their way, warning labels about junk food may soon be seen at fast food establishments and on store shelves.
A fresh effort has been made in response to a study that examined hundreds of studies on food packaging and found that warning labels were very effective in lowering consumption of unhealthy foods.
During the last several years, nations like Chile and Israel have prominently displayed warning labels on the front of the box for processed foods that are high in salt, sugar, and bad fats.
The paper’s co-author and marketing professor at Deakin University, Chris Dubelaar, said that Australia’s voluntary star rating system for food packaging was only partly effective.
Although it did assist consumers in making better choices, according to him, it was ineffective at preventing them from also purchasing harmful items.
Fewer than half of food items that qualify for star ratings do so.
Businesses assert, “Oh, I don’t want to give my product a half-star rating.” Then, Mr. Dubelaar told The Sydney Morning Herald, “consumers are left to fend for themselves.”
According to his research, only large, “in-your-face” labeling were proven to be beneficial at lowering intake of harmful foods.
Executive manager of the Obesity Policy Alliance Jane Martin said that the new research supports their requests for a revision of the food star system.
Statistics from 2018 show that more than 60% of Australians were overweight.
She wants to make obligatory the system that rates processed foods from one (unhealthy) to five (healthy).
The star labels, she said, were a good alternative since they were straightforward to comprehend, but they should be more noticeable and color-coded with green for healthy, yellow for mid-range, and red for low-rated items.
She said that ratings not only benefit customers but also persuade manufacturers to change their formulas to make them healthier.
Earlier, Aaron Schultz, who started the Game Changer campaign to ban unhealthy food advertisements in sports, asked for plain packaging warning labels on junk food, similar to those seen on cigarette packages.
In an effort to spark discussion, Mr. Schultz posted a photo of a Big Mac box with the caption “Big Macs breed large children” with a picture of two obese youngsters on his Game Changer Facebook page.
Dee Madigan, an advertising expert, said on Monday’s Today program that brands must find a delicate balance.
She said they must be kept simple so customers perusing the shelves or a menu may comprehend them quickly, but they must also provide a comprehensive image.
“We also don’t want to warn consumers away from one kind of harmful meal, like one that’s heavy in salt or sugar, and then push them toward another choice that could also be unhealthy.”
The star rating is excellent, but we must ensure that it takes into account all of the variables and not just one element.
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