A national approach to food guidelines would make healthy food choices easier and reduce confusion for customers and food businesses, new research suggests.
An Australian first study by Deakin University's Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE) in the Institute for Health Transformation (IHT) compared the food classification systems in each state and territory for food and drinks sold in places such as school canteens, hospital cafes and kiosks, and workplace canteens.
GLOBE Associate Research Fellow and PhD candidate Bettina Backman said the research yielded some surprising results, particularly inconsistencies around what is considered 'unhealthy' food.
'The biggest differences occurred when the same food or drink was classified as 'least healthy' (red) in one state but 'moderately healthy' (amber) in another,' Ms Backman said.
'Flavoured water without added sweeteners, such as Mount Franklin Lightly Sparkling Lime, was classified 'healthiest' in schools in Victoria and WA but 'moderately healthy' in Tasmania and 'least healthy' in SA, NT and the ACT.
'Another example is ice cream varieties made with reduced-fat milk and no added confectionery which sound like a healthier option compared to chocolate-coated varieties.
'In some states, like Victorian and SA schools, the reduced fat ice-creams were seen as healthier ice cream options and classified as 'moderately healthy'. But in others, like WA schools, all ice creams are lumped into the 'least healthy' category.'
The research, published in Public Health Nutrition looked at 967 common foods and drinks, comparing the way 17 different food classification guidelines classified them as 'healthiest', 'moderately healthy', or 'least healthy'.
'This is the first study to assess consistency in practice among food guidelines; that is, how much the guidelines align when rating foods and drinks in different states and territories,' Ms Backman said.
'We found they mostly agree on what counts as 'healthy', but the inconsistencies raise the question about the overall value in different classification systems.'
GLOBE Australian Research Council DECRA Senior Research Fellow Dr Miranda Blake said the findings show there's a real opportunity to create a single, national approach that would reduce confusion for food outlets, manufacturers, and the public while ensuring clearer and more consistent messaging about what healthy eating looks like.
'It would simplify efforts to offer healthier food in public places like schools and hospitals ensuring people can find healthier options wherever they go. This is particularly important for schools, where students are learning about healthy eating and building lifelong habits,' Dr Blake said.
'National consistency would streamline the implementation and monitoring of nutrition policies, helping to ensure the food available in these settings aligns with the guidelines and supports healthier food environments.'
