The Obesity Policy Coalition is today congratulating Kellogg’s on its decision to add Health Star Ratings to its breakfast cereal products.
The Australian food manufacturer announced yesterday that the first of its cereal packs to carry the voluntary health star ratings will be in stores from June, with all Kellogg’s cereals updated by the end of 2015.
Jane Martin Executive Manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) welcomed the move which will help Australian consumers make healthier, more informed choices when they’re shopping.
“Kellogg’s decision to add Health Star Ratings to its cereals is a fantastic step towards making it easier for shoppers to make a healthy choice. The cereal aisle can be particularly confusing for consumers looking for a genuinely healthy product – this will enable them to compare the overall nutritional quality of Kellogg’s cereals at a glance,” Ms Martin says.
The move comes after the OPC revealed that the majority of popular breakfast cereals carried healthy sounding statements, such as a ‘source of fibre’, ‘69% wholegrain’ and ‘no artificial flavours’ – despite some containing more than one third sugar. Very few of the 20 cereals analysed early this year carried health star ratings.
“The OPC has been calling on food manufacturers and cereal brands in particular to adopt the Health Star Rating system since it was introduced more than a year ago. Research to support the development of the system found that 75% of consumers said that they would use stars if it was on cereal packs.” Ms Martin says.
“When around 63% of Australian adults and 25% of Australian children are overweight or obese, we are urging other food manufacturers to follow Kellogg’s lead. Clearer nutrition labelling through a system such as Health Star Ratings is a vital step in empowering consumers to make healthier choices.”
Health Star Ratings rank food products on a scale of half a star to five stars – the more stars, the healthier the choice.