CHOICE urges Forum Ministers, FSANZ and the Front-of-Pack Labelling Secretariat to roll out the strongest possible Health Star Rating system using Calculator 2 without further delay. Three out of every five consumers have used health stars to influence their choice of groceries and cut through marketing spin, which is why the Health Star Ratings formula must be based on Calculator 2 – an improved formula that more accurately factors in salt and sugar.
Food manufacturers will have two years to implement changes to this voluntary scheme, a timeline that's exceptionally generous. This rollout comes after the comprehensive five-year review process and strong calls from advocates to make the scheme mandatory. Consumers cannot wait any longer for a more accurate front-of-pack labelling scheme. This is why CHOICE supports the improvements reflected in Calculator 2, and calls on Forum Ministers to see through these changes from 1 October 2020.
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