The Victorian Government is stepping up efforts to make supermarket shelves clearer for shoppers, backing a move to require the Health Star Rating on all packaged food products.
Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas announced the proposal ahead of a National Food Ministers’ Meeting, where the measure will be championed by the Allan and Malinauskas Governments. The Health Star Rating system, introduced in 2014, grades the overall nutritional value of packaged foods from half a star to five stars, offering a quick visual guide to help consumers compare products.
More than a decade on, the system remains voluntary. According to the Victorian Government, that approach is falling short. Just 39 per cent of eligible food products currently display the rating, well below the 70 per cent target set for national uptake. The result, the government argues, is that shoppers are left to navigate crowded shelves without consistent information.
Thomas said the gap is affecting everyday decisions made by families at the supermarket. “As it stands, families do not have access to enough information to make the right food choices,” she said.
The proposal would make the display of the Health Star Rating mandatory across all relevant packaged foods, creating a uniform standard rather than a patchwork of participation. Supporters say this would level the playing field between brands and ensure that healthier options are clearly identified, rather than relying on companies to opt in.
The push also aligns with the Commonwealth’s National Obesity Strategy 2022 to 2032, which identifies poor diet as a leading risk factor for chronic conditions such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Australia continues to record high rates of obesity by global standards, with diet-related illness placing growing pressure on the health system.
For the Victorian Government, the reform is framed as a practical public health measure rather than a regulatory overhaul. The rating itself is already familiar to many shoppers. Making it compulsory would extend that familiarity to all products within scope, reducing inconsistencies across categories.
Thomas described the change as a matter of clarity for households. “This is about ensuring that we are providing parents and families with simple information to make health choices,” she said.
Public health advocates have long argued that front-of-pack labelling works best when it is universal. When only some products display ratings, comparisons become harder and lower-scoring items may simply avoid participation. A mandatory approach would remove that discretion.
The Victorian Government has also linked the proposal to its broader preventative health agenda. With chronic diseases accounting for a large share of healthcare costs, early intervention and informed consumer choices are viewed as key levers.
“Initiatives like this complement our work to improve preventative health care in Victoria – ensuring public health resources are focused where they matter most,” Thomas said.
The discussion at the national meeting is expected to test whether other jurisdictions are willing to shift from a voluntary framework to a compulsory one. Food manufacturers have previously raised concerns about regulatory burden, while public health groups have argued that clearer labelling is a modest step compared with the cost of diet-related illness.
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