The healthy food star rating system is back

You can expect to see stars on your food packaging from now, as the healthy food star rating system just got a new wave of support from government and major industry players.

Today, state and federal ministers voted to reinstate the healthy food star rating system website (it was pulled offline by government earlier this year) and affirmed support for the scheme.

In the scheme, foods will be rated out of 5 stars based on their levels of healthy and unhealthy ingredients. The more stars a food has, the healthier it is. The scheme will remain voluntary for five years, and will be used in conjuction with the existing dietary intake guidelines on food packaging.

Debate continues on the fairness of the ratings scheme, but major supermarket chain Woolworths and food company Sanitarium have come out as supporters, announcing their support shortly after the government’s announcement today.

The ratings website is expected to go live in a few weeks, which will be used by food manufacturers to calculate the star rating for their products.

Source: bodyandSoul