Evaluation of Alignment between the Health Claims Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC) and the Health Star Rating (HSR) Nutrient Profiling Models.

Elizabeth Dunford,Cliona Ni Mhurchu,Liping Huang,Bruce Neal,Michelle Crino,Sanne Peters

doi:10.3390/nu10081065

Abstract

In Australia, manufacturers can use two government-endorsed approaches to advertise product healthiness: the Health Star Rating (HSR) front-of-pack nutrition labelling system, and health claims. Related, but different, algorithms determine the star rating of a product (the HSR algorithm) and eligibility to display claims (the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC) algorithm). The objective of this study was to examine the agreement between the HSR and NPSC algorithms. Food composition information for 41,297 packaged products was extracted from The George Institute’s FoodSwitch database. HSR and the NPSC scores were calculated, and the proportion of products in each HSR category that were eligible to display a health claim under the NPSC was examined. The highest agreement between the HSR scoring algorithm and the NPSC threshold to determine eligibility to display a health claim was at the HSR cut-off of 3.5 stars (k = 0.83). Overall, 97.3% (n = 40,167) of products with star ratings of 3.5 or higher were also eligible to display a health claim, and 94.3% (n = 38,939) of products with star ratings less than 3.5 were ineligible to display a health claim. The food group with greatest divergence was “edible oils”, with 45% products (n = 342) with HSR >3.5, but 64% (n = 495) eligible to display a claim. Categories with large absolute numbers of products with HSR <3.5, but eligible to display a claim, were “yoghurts and yoghurt drinks” (335 products, 25.4%) and “soft drinks” (299 products, 29.7%). Categories with a large number of products with HSR ≥3.5, but ineligible to display a claim, were “milk” (260 products, 21.2%) and “nuts and seeds” (173 products, 19.7%). We conclude that there is good agreement between the HSR and the NPSC systems overall, but divergence in some food groups is likely to result in confusion for consumers, particularly where foods with low HSRs are eligible to display a health claim. The alignment of the NPSC and HSR scoring algorithms should be improved.

Highlights

Diet-related diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, are increasing globally in conjunction with greater consumption of processed foods [1]
The FoodSwitch database contained information on 47,116 products, of which 41,297 were included in these analyses. Another 5819 (12.4%) products were excluded for one of the following reasons: not required to display a Nutrition Information Panels (NIP) (n = 970), in an excluded category (n = 2110), or data on an essential nutrient required for the calculation of Health Star Rating (HSR) or NPSC scores were missing (n = 2739)
2.7% (n = 1130) were ineligible to display a health claim, despite rating ≥3.5 stars. Such divergence in health claims and the HSR could result in confusion amongst consumers, because the proportion of products affected by such discrepancies is relatively small, it translates into a large absolute number of products (n = 3488)

Summary

Introduction

Diet-related diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, are increasing globally in conjunction with greater consumption of processed foods [1]. Common recommendations to improve population diets include implementation of that processed foods have substantial potential to influence the healthiness of population dietary effectiveCommon front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems, application of food and beverageof taxes on intake. Recommendations to improve population diets include implementation effective unhealthy products, restrictions marketing of unhealthy foods to on children [3]. Products, Nutrient front-of-pack nutritionand labelling systems,on application of food and beverage taxes unhealthy profiling, defined “the science of classifying orchildren ranking[3]. Foods according to their nutritional and restrictions on as marketing of unhealthy foods to Nutrient profiling, defined as “the composition for reasons relatedfoods to preventing and promoting health”for [4],reasons is oftenrelated used to science of classifying or ranking according disease to their nutritional composition underpin such policies preventing disease and [5]. Twogovernment-endorsed government-endorsedsystems systems regulated health claims on product packaging, voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labels

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