Cultivate - Legal update - food packaging

Possible food packaging restrictions on the horizon in Australia

An interesting development in food packaging has arisen in Australia recently. Prior to the recent Federal election, the Labor Government called for a new and voluntary 'star rating system' for food packaging. The star rating system was designed to provide a simple, visual means of communicating the fat, sodium, sugar and overall kilojoule content of a packaged food item to consumers.

Labels would feature a possible five star rating for foods, with more stars indicating that the product is a better nutritional choice than a product with fewer stars. It would apply to most packaged foods, with the exception of soft drinks and confectionery, which would only be required to display kilojoule content.