Rushed labelling system is still flawed, AFGC says

The new front-of-pack nutrition labelling system (FoPL) has been rushed out by the federal government without any cost-benefit analysis or evidence that it will achieve the outcomes it is seeking, according to Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) CEO Gary Dawson.

Dawson said that serious flaws remain in the system and need to be resolved in order to effectively implement an easily understood labelling system to promote healthy eating habits.

“Industry believes that there are still significant problems with the proposal but we are committed to working through them to see if a workable solution can be found,” Dawson said.

“The food industry is expected to carry the $200m cost of implementing this scheme while also dealing with an additional regulatory burden. If industry is going to make this investment in a new FoPL system, it must be based on sound and credible science, effective in communicating with consumers and practical and attractive for industry to implement.”

An effective system will need to resolve issues such as how the star system is calculated, Dawson said, in order to avoid anomalous ratings that will jeopardise the system’s credibility and lead to further consumer confusion. Funding for consumer education and a cost-benefit analysis may also be necessary, Dawson said.

“Extensive international scientific literature has demonstrated that informative elements such as Daily Intake Guide (DIG) are an essential part of any effective front-of-pack labelling scheme to enable consumers to identify healthier choices,” said Dawson.

“DIG now has more than 7200 products, representing a $72 million industry investment that provides consumers accurate and easy-to-understand information on labels. The wide acceptance of the DIG means that it should remain as a foundation informative element on labels, providing valuable consumer information.

“Any move to mandate these changes would be a major setback and is certainly inconsistent with the National Food Plan and the Asian Century White Paper that aims to reduce the regulatory burden and enhance export competitiveness of Australia’s food processing industry.”