Question:
My teenage son loves snacking on instant noodles. After reading about the health risks of ultra-processed foods, I was thinking about not buying them any more. But the ones we buy have a 3-star health rating on the front of the packet. How can an ultra-processed food achieve this?
Answer:
The health star-rating system is designed to help consumers choose healthier options among packaged foods. However, while more stars indicate a more nutritious food, that is true only when comparing products within a food category. And just because a rating grades a product as “healthier” than its competitor’s does not make the food a health-promoting choice.
Comparing a rating for instant noodles with one for breakfast cereal is therefore meaningless. Instead, you should use the rating to compare products within the same product category.
When comparing all the different types of instant noodles on the market, Maggi 2 Minute Noodles has a rating of 3 stars, whereas Fusian Mi Goreng Hot & Spicy Noodles has a lower rating of 2.5 stars, so the Maggi 2-Minute Noodles are healthier.
But what does that mean in this context? The rating system allocates stars to foods based on the presence of a limited range of nutrients and ingredients. The calculations give points based on energy content, lower levels of risk nutrients such as saturated fat, sodium and total sugar, higher levels of beneficial ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes and, in some cases, the presence of beneficial components like dietary fibre and protein. The more points a food scores, the higher its rating.
Woolworths’ branded Choc Hazelnut spread has more than 10 times more sugar and sodium than Sanitarium’s no added sugar or salt peanut butter, which explains why the chocolate hazelnut spread has a 0.5-star rating and the peanut butter a 4.5-star rating.
With breakfast cereals, Weetbix has a 5-star rating but Coco Pops 2 stars. The Weetbix has half the amount of sugar and more than six times more dietary fibre than the Coco Pops, and this is reflected in its rating.
What we cannot do, however, is compare the 4.5-star peanut butter with 5-star Weetbix and conclude the cereal is a better breakfast option than peanut butter on toast. The two foods are in different food product categories. Weetbix should only be compared with other breakfast cereals and peanut butter only with other spreads.
In the case of ultra-processed foods such as instant noodles, you can undoubtedly pick a more nutritious version by comparing health star ratings, but that will not alter the fact that the food product is ultra-processed and has inherent issues.
In a new study, greater consumption of ultra-processed foods was linked to an increased risk of certain cancers. They have also been linked to issues such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
So, by all means, check and compare the health star ratings on comparable foods in the same food category. You have a good chance of making a healthier decision if you choose the product with more stars, particularly when it comes to staples like bread and breakfast cereals.
But it is also your decision how frequently, or whether, you would include that food category in your diet based on your health goals. A 2019 study in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health noted that while the voluntary health star rating appears on about 20-28% of food products in Australia and New Zealand, it is biased towards those that score better on the rating system. Food manufacturers are in no rush to voluntarily print a low health star rating on their product’s label.
