Seeing Stars | The Checkout

Summary

The government's new health star rating system on packaged foods aims to guide healthier choices by scoring products out of five based on their nutritional content. However, the system's complexity and limitations, such as only comparing similar products and being based on a 100-gram serving, can confuse consumers. Despite this, some companies have already adjusted their recipes to improve their star ratings, and the Food Switch app helps compare products and suggests healthier alternatives.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The government's new star rating system is designed to help consumers identify healthier packaged foods by displaying a star rating out of five on the product packaging.
• 🛍️ Consumers should look for the health star rating when shopping to make healthier choices, with more stars indicating a healthier option.
• 🍶 The rating system is based on a baseline score related to the presence of less healthy ingredients like saturated fat, sodium, and sugar, but it does not consider preservatives.
• 🥛 The system also considers a limited list of positive nutrients, similar to how a review might consider the merits of an actor.
• 🏅 The final star rating is determined by how a product's health score ranks within its food category, which is crucial for making accurate comparisons.
• 🥗 The star rating system is only designed to compare similar products, meaning that a high-star rating in one category does not necessarily translate to a healthier option in another.
• 🍰 The system is based on a 100-gram serving size, so comparisons should be made based on equivalent amounts of different products.
• 🍬 Some companies have responded positively to the system by reformulating their products to achieve higher star ratings, such as Nutrigrain reducing sugar and sodium in their cereal.
• 📈 The health star rating is a voluntary system, and not all products will display it, limiting its effectiveness in some cases.
• 📱 Consumers can use the Food Switch app to scan barcodes and compare products, even those without health star ratings, to find healthier alternatives.
• 🚫 It's important to note that not all high-star rated products are necessarily the healthiest options, and consumers should still consider other factors when making food choices.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the government's new star rating system for packaged foods?

The purpose of the government's new star rating system is to help consumers easily identify healthier packaged food options by displaying a star rating on the front of the packaging, with more stars indicating a healthier choice.

How is the baseline score for the health star rating determined?

The baseline score is determined by the presence of less healthy ingredients such as saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. It also considers a limited list of positive nutrients and ignores preservatives.

Why does the star rating system give one and a half stars to plain yogurt but four stars to a brick of Milo?

The discrepancy in star ratings between plain yogurt and Milo is due to the system's scoring based on the presence of less healthy ingredients and positive nutrients. Milo may have a higher score due to a different balance of these factors, despite what might seem intuitive.

How does the health star rating system categorize food products for comparison?

The system categorizes food products into specific food categories such as dairy, beverages, cheese, oils and spreads, and a broad 'everything else' category. This is to ensure that the star ratings are only used for comparison within similar product types.

What is the significance of the 'everything else' category in the health star rating system?

The 'everything else' category is significant because it is a large category that encompasses about 85% of products displaying star ratings. It helps to standardize the comparison of a wide range of products that do not fit into more specific categories.

How does the health star rating system encourage companies to improve their products?

Supporters of the health star system hope that by making the nutritional quality of products more transparent, companies will be encouraged to reformulate their products to be healthier and thus achieve higher star ratings.

What was the change made by Nutrigrain in response to the health star rating system?

Nutrigrain switched to a new recipe that contained 17% less sugar and 25% less sodium in response to its initial two-star rating, which was possibly due to the high sugar content in the original recipe.

How many products currently have health star ratings, and is the system mandatory for all packaged foods?

Around 4,000 products currently have health star ratings, and the system is voluntary, meaning companies can choose not to display them.

How can consumers compare products without health star ratings?

Consumers can compare products without health star ratings by looking at the nutritional information on the packaging or by using the Food Switch app, which allows scanning of barcodes to compare star ratings and suggests healthier alternatives.

What is the limitation of the health star rating system based on the amount of product?

The health star rating system is based on a 100-gram serving of a product, which means that it is only useful for comparison when the same amount of different products is being considered.

What is the final advice given in the script for using the health star rating system while shopping?

The final advice is to use the health star rating system as a guide, but to remember that not all stars are created equal and that more stars are generally better, except in cases where the product itself may not be healthy despite a high star rating.