An analysis of online commentary finds 77% of opinions expressed about the Australian Health Star Rating system indicated confusion or dissatisfaction with the current labelling approach, compared with 8% expressing support.

The findings come as the Australian government moving closer to making Health Star Ratings (HSR) mandatory on packaged food, leading business standards provider Intertek Inform to analyse online discussions to understand how the policy is being received by the Australian public.

The analysis reviewed several Australian Reddit forums to capture a snapshot of online commentary about the HSR system at a pivotal moment in Australian food labelling policy. Among the almost 300 online opinions reviewed, 77% expressed confusion or dissatisfaction with the labelling system, with 47% of those raising concerns about misleading ratings.

While these findings reflect online commentary rather than nationally representative consumer sentiment, they highlight a growing conversation about the role of clear and trusted labelling in helping Australians make informed choices.

“What this online commentary highlights is that many consumers are navigating real confusion around food labelling, and that’s an important signal for the industry,” said Dr Anand Shankaran, Vice President at Global Intertek Inform and SAI Assurance Australasia.

“When people find it difficult to interpret what a label means, it becomes harder for them to make confident, informed choices at the supermarket. That’s why balanced regulatory guidance and clear, trusted labelling standards matter so much.”

Key concerns

Among the 282 online opinions reviewed in the study, the majority of commentary expressed concern or confusion about the HSR system. More than three-quarters of comments raised questions about the current labelling approach, while fewer than one in ten expressed support.

Among comments raising concerns, the most common theme, by a considerable margin, relates to confusion around ratings, with commenters noting instances of high scores assigned to products they considered less healthy and low scores assigned to whole foods.

Commenters frequently point to examples of heavily processed products carrying higher star ratings than minimally processed whole foods, questioning whether the algorithm accurately reflects nutritional value.

Commenters also argue that food companies are able to exploit the voluntary nature of the scheme, such as adjusting serving sizes, reformulating products, or using strategic product categorisation, to achieve higher ratings regardless of a product’s overall nutritional quality.

A smaller share of comments expressed support for the system. Supportive comments tended to focus on the practical utility of having a simple at-a-glance indicator, particularly for comparing products within the same category.

“Clear, consistent and credible labelling isn’t a ‘nice to have’,” says Dr Shankaran, “it’s the foundation of every spending decision a shopper makes at the supermarket, and that’s why labelling is an important communication tool for business to consumers.”