Analysis of a Topical Food Policy Action

This document provides an analysis of a topical food policy action, focusing on the front-of-pack nutritional labeling (FOPNL) and the Health Star Rating (HSR) system. It describes FOPNL as a policy action aimed at improving health and diet, examines the HSR system as a policy action to promote healthy food selection, analyzes competing worldviews among stakeholders, and discusses the strengths, weaknesses, and future revision priorities of FOPNL and HSR. The document also discusses the technical aspects of the nutrient profiling algorithm, the application of a warning-oriented system, alignment with a food profiling classification system, alignment with a diet profiling system, and governance arrangements.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF A TOPICAL FOOD POLICY ACTION 1
ANALYSIS OF A TOPICAL FOOD POLICY ACTION
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ANALYSIS OF A TOPICAL FOOD POLICY ACTION 2
1. Describe FOPNL as a policy action
The front-of-pack nutritional labeling as policy action aimed at improving the health and
diet. Therefore, the World Health Organization is seeking to facilitate the front-of-pack
nutritional labeling as one of the elements of comprehensive policies (1). The facilitation will give
a positive response to diet linked diseases and world epidemic obesity. The front-of-pack
nutritional labeling will, therefore, play a key role in making policy decisions, guidelines, and
schemes that will require labeling of packages. Different front-of-pack nutritional labeling will
support various policy goals and objectives. Additionally, the uptake of front-of-pack nutritional
labeling is gradual as seen in New Zealand and Australia, where only approximately 5% of food
products undertake the Health Star Rating.
There is a big debate regarding the food-healthy policy, which requires the government to
change the operations and structures of the food systems to assist in addressing the public health
nutritional issues. However, this could bring conflicts views to the cause of the problems and
solution to the public health dietary plans. This is because some individuals will have a different
opinion than the Health Star Rating needs refining to raise its effectiveness of operations. Others
suggest that the nutritional issues are highly substantive, and food systems should be broken with
regards to the sustainability from public health and environment. Hence, nothing like the HSR
system transformation is required (2). However, the norm should be ignored and allow the
approach in organizing ideological ideas towards changing the food systems with the response to
nutritional issues.

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2. Examine the HSR system as a policy action to promote healthy food selection
Nutrient profiling is a scientific technique used to assess the quality of foods, thus
improving robust food selection. The quality is achieved through ranking and classifying foods
regarding their nutrition components to promote health and prevent diseases (3).
Besides, nutrient profiling is used to inform the front-of-pack nutritional labeling by helping the
customers in understanding the nutrients components of foods.
Nutrient profiling can also be used in formulating other policies at the country-level. Nutrient
profile technique has been used recently in restricting marketing to the kids. New Zealand and
Australia are one of the countries in the world which have been lauded due to their
comprehensive and exemplary approach in regulating the market of the food products to kids.
The HSR (Health Star Rating) system was established to help in selecting healthier, packaged
food products. The HSR uses the algorithm of nutrient profiling where each food product is
assigned a score from ½-5 stars with regards to their nutritional composition (4). The nutrients
which are considered are the sugar, calcium, dietary fiber, energy, and saturated fats. The higher
the number of stars, the healthier the food option. In New Zealand and Australia, systems of the
Health star rating, rank the food stuffs from 0.5-5 stars and the higher the number of stars, the
healthier the food options.
Briefly summarize any evidence for the (in)effectiveness and/or (lack of) harm of the HSR
system
To inform the efficacy and lack of damage to the Health Star Rating, this section will
consider the evidence which was undertaken by MPI in New Zealand and Australian NHF
among other studies. This will be shown under the following sub-topics.

ANALYSIS OF A TOPICAL FOOD POLICY ACTION 4
Products that display the HSR
Between the year 2017 and 2018, the Health Star Rating was seen on 31% of eligible
food products within Australia and 21% of available food products in New Zealand. The display
has raised from the 3% in Australia and decreased by 1% in New Zealand (5). That means HSR is
adequate but there is need to work more in increasing the uptake of Health Star Rating system in
a wide range of eligible food products
The accuracy of displayed HSRs
The is high compliance for the food products displaying the Health Star Rating as well as
the guidelines for the dietary. Approximately 90% of the Australian food manufacturing
companies show appropriate Health Star Rating. The harm of the HSR is that 5% of the Food
manufacturing and processing companies have overstated and 5% of these manufacturing
understating it (6).
The awareness of HSR by the Consumers
The recent survey has shown that approximately 83% and 76% of consumers in
Australian and New Zealand respectively have a piece of knowledge regarding the Health Star
Rating systems. Many consumers in New Zealand and Australia view the Health Star Rating as
easy to comprehend and apply it in choosing the healthier packaged products (7).
The influence of HSR on purchasing decisions by the Consumers
Investigation in Australia has indicated that approximately 70% of the customers bought
the food products that displayed the HSR. Two-thirds of the 70% consumers recalled that Health
Star Rating influenced their decision on purchasing the food products with more numbers of stars
(8).

ANALYSIS OF A TOPICAL FOOD POLICY ACTION 5
3. Analyze the competing worldviews (if any) among stakeholders towards the HSR system
Conceptually
Food is an element that individuals eat and drink to obtain energy and remain alive.
Foods are also intricate nutrients combinations and other components which operates
synergistically in the food. Foods provide nutrients and energy. The nutrient is an element within
the food critical for the health of an individual. However, there are other elements which are
being identified in the food.
Technically
Provide a practical example of how each of nutrient profiling, food profiling, and diet
profiling can be applied to inform FOPNL
Nutrient profiling
The nutrient profiling can be used in nutrient profile model and algorithms which
transform nutrient levels and other food elements into scores and classifications. These scores
and rankings are several and different, which ranging from the simple scores like low in fats to
more sophisticated ones (9). Nutrient profiling is also applied to decide the level of the healthy
food in a wide range of circumstances both the non-regulatory and regulatory. Application of
nutrient profiling in regulatory uses the 4P's of marketing technique, namely; product, place,
price, and promotion. For instance, in FOPNL, nutrient profiling can be applied in deciding
foods reformulation to raise their healthiness (product), Promotion (the kind of food to be
advertised to Children) and place (food available in school vending machines (10).

ANALYSIS OF A TOPICAL FOOD POLICY ACTION 6
Food profiling
Food profiling can inform the front-of-package nutrient labeling since it includes the
reference standard as one of the fundamentals linked to convey the information regarding the
foods to the consumers. For instance, food profiling is put for every nutrient reflecting the
necessities of both men and women
Diet profiling
The national nutritional agencies in Australia and New Zealand apply diet profiling to
combat particular chronic illness linked to the dietary imbalances. These agencies are seeking to
offer bits of advice to the communities to improve their healthy lifestyles to reduce the
development of diet-linked diseases. Thus, the diet profiling capture will play a key role in
providing advice to inform the Front-of-package nutrient labeling. Dietary profile capture will
also help the health practitioners in shifting the nutritional profile towards dietary pattern
behavior (11).
Politically
Identify the main actors engaged with the HSR system and discuss if the interests of any of
those actors might be better served by the use of nutrient profiling, rather than food- or
diet-profiling, to inform the HSR system
One of the main actors engaged with the Health Star Rating in Australia and New
Zealand is the manufacturer in advertising the healthiness of their food products. The two
government have endorsed the HRS system to regulate the claim on voluntary front-of-pack
nutrition labeling and food products packaging. The government has also formed the Nutrient
Profiling Scoring Criterion to serve the manufacturers better when determining whether or not
specific food product is eligible in displaying the HSR (12).

ANALYSIS OF A TOPICAL FOOD POLICY ACTION 7
The next main actors are the consumers who make food selection by considering the score on
that particular food product. The Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion uses the algorithm when
assigning the score concerning the nutrient profile of that specific food product. The main
objective of HSR is making it easier for the consumers in identifying the healthier food products.
4. Following on the above, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of FOPNL and HSR
system and future revision priorities
The strengths and weaknesses of FOPNL
Strengths
The front-of-pack Nutrient Labelling system has a crucial role in proving the information
regarding the nutrients in the food products to the consumer in a systematic and simplified
manner (13). The simplicity has been enhanced by the mandate from the government to the
manufacturers from different parts of Australia and New Zealand signposting the system of
nutrient profiling.
Marking the nutritional information on the package using various formats and symbols has
increased the perception of the products by the consumers. Thus, making the FOPNL system to
acquire popularity in the international levels.
Weaknesses
The coexistence of more front-of-pack Nutrient Labelling within the same market can
confuse the minds of many consumers or result in misinterpretation of the information on the
package.
The strengths and weaknesses of the HSR system
Strengths

ANALYSIS OF A TOPICAL FOOD POLICY ACTION 8
Many manufacturing companies in Australia and New Zealand have agreed to use the
HSR system since it has shown to attract more consumers (14). Hence many food processing
companies have committed to display the system of Health Star Rating across their entire food
commodities.
The consumers have boosted the activities of the HSR system by demanding the manufacturers
with the country to display the HSR across their food products range. Thus, Increasing the
popularity of the Health Star Rating system.
Weaknesses
For a more extended period, there has been inadequate certainty on the continuation of
the Health Star Rating system as well as the delay from the manufacturers in integrating the HSR
system.
There is no proper clarity concerning the results attained by the Health Star Rating systems. The
clarification is necessary for resolving key problems that impound the uptake of HSR system and
setting objectives and goals of what would be implemented in the future.
How might the HSR system be revised in terms of:
a. Technical aspects of the nutrient profiling algorithm
One of the leading critics that underpin the HSR system is the use of the total sugars to
calculate the food product's rate rather than the added sugar (15). That means the intrinsic sugar
that is in vegetables, dairy, and fruits are treated as sugar the same way as the sugar that is added
during processing. Hence, the Health Star Rating algorithm need to be revised so as to
differentiate the discretionary and core foods.
b. Applying a warning-oriented system

ANALYSIS OF A TOPICAL FOOD POLICY ACTION 9
The guidelines of the HSR gives a room for the food manufacturing companies to
consider the most appropriate format to represent their products which brings inconsistency.
Therefore, the government of Australia and New Zealand should establish common Health Star
Rating graphics which can be used by the manufacturers in displaying the nutrient icons.
c. Aligning with a food profiling classification system, e.g. NOVA
The classification system like NOVA has been previously used in AUSNUT 2011 to
2013 which represented the food supply of Australia at that time (16). However, it can be aligned
with the food profiling to increase the technique of classifying the healthier food products.
d. Aligning with a diet profiling system, e.g. dietary guideline recommendations
The objectives and goals of Health Star Rating systems require to be reformed into
dietary guidelines to align with the regional and national dietary pattern. Recommendation in
various states like in Europe vary according to the food products that are available since it would
not be expected the entire Australia to consume same form of food.
e. Governance arrangements (who responsible? voluntary versus mandatory?)
The government of Australia and New Zealand should establish a relationship with health
institutions for an inclusion in setting the standard of the healthier food products. The health
claim should be mandatory on food products that meet the NPSC (nutrient profiling scoring
criterion). For instance, health claim should reject food products with a high saturated salt, fat or
sugars.

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