Health Star Rating Evaluation

Overview

The Health Star Rating (HSR) is a voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labelling system that was introduced to New Zealand and Australia in 2014. We will use our unique databases (annually-updated food labelling and composition data and nationally representative household food purchasing data) that span before and after introduction of HSR, to evaluate this policy. Using difference in difference fixed effects models and other natural experiment methods, we will measure the effects of HSR on population diets, through the pathways of: a) industry reformulation; and/or b) consumer food purchases

Aim

To measure the impact of voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labels (the Health Star Rating - HSR) on population diets.

Timeline

The project will begin in March 2019

Results

• Ni Mhurchu C, Bablani L, Neal B, Skeels C, Staub K, Blakely T, National Institute for Health Innovation, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, The George Institue for Global Health, Sydney, Australia. The Effect of Voluntary Health Star Rating Labels in Healthier Food Purchasing in New Zealand: Longitudinal Evidence using Representative Household Purchase Data [Poster presentation] International Congress on Obesity, October 2022, Melbourne, Australia

Publications

• Bablani L, Ni Mhurchu C, Neal B, Skeels CL, Staub KE, Blakely T. The impact of voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labelling on packaged food reformulation: A difference-in-differences analysis of the Australasian Health Star Rating scheme. PLOS Medicine 2020; 17(11): e1003427 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003427
• Bablani L, Ni Mhurchu C, Neal B, et al Effect of voluntary Health Star Rating labels on healthier food purchasing in New Zealand: longitudinal evidence using representative household purchase data BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2022;e000459. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2022-000459
• The Australasian Health Star Rating (HSR) system. Presented at 'Food for Health: Transforming Policies and Outcomes' Symposium, World Health Assembly, Switzerland, 26 May 2022 (virtual presentation)