Lawrence Mark A, Pollard Christina M, Vidgen Helen A, Woods Julie L
Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
Faculty of Health Science, School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Public Health Res Pract. 2019 Mar 6;29(1):2911906. doi: 10.17061/phrp2911906.
The Australian Government's voluntary Health Star Rating (HSR) system has potential to provide a user-friendly approach to help shoppers choose healthier packaged food options. However, despite evidence that it is dietary imbalances and excesses that are the predominant causes of diet-related noncommunicable diseases and obesity, the star-rating system's design is based on a reductionist (nutrient) world view of nutrition science which is not a fit-for-purpose solution to the cause of the problem. As a result, the HSR system frequently is inadvertently contradicting Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG) recommendations, and promoting the marketing of discretionary and ultraprocessed foods. This perspective article looks at how the HSR system could be reformed to complement the ADG and stresses the overriding priority is to position it within, and not be a distraction from, a comprehensive national nutrition policy if dietary risk factors are to be effectively tackled.
澳大利亚政府的自愿性健康星级评级（HSR）系统有潜力提供一种方便用户的方法，以帮助购物者选择更健康的包装食品。然而，尽管有证据表明饮食不均衡和过量是与饮食相关的非传染性疾病和肥胖的主要原因，但星级评级系统的设计基于营养科学的还原论（营养素）世界观，这并不是解决问题根源的适用方案。因此，HSR系统经常无意中与澳大利亚饮食指南（ADG）的建议相矛盾，并促进了自由裁量食品和超加工食品的营销。这篇观点文章探讨了如何改革HSR系统以补充ADG，并强调如果要有效应对饮食风险因素，首要任务是将其置于全面的国家营养政策之中，而不是分散其注意力。
