Front of Pack Labelling Health Star Rating Scheme GUIDELINES FOR BEVERAGES

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Front of Pack Labelling Health Star Rating Scheme GUIDELINES FOR BEVERAGES"

Phillip Casey
6 years ago
Views:

Front of Pack Labelling Health Star Rating Scheme Purpose GUIDELINES FOR BEVERAGES The purpose of this labelling guidance ( the guidelines ) is to provide manufacturers with a clear set of

1 Front of Pack Labelling Health Star Rating Scheme Purpose GUIDELINES FOR BEVERAGES The purpose of this labelling guidance ( the guidelines ) is to provide manufacturers with a clear set of requirements for the consistent and widespread implementation of the front of pack labelling (FOPL) Health Star Rating (HSR) scheme as it applies specifically to beverages. Background After extensive consultations following the Blewett Labelling Review, the Forum on Food Regulation (comprising all State and Commonwealth Ministers with responsibility for food), approved the HSR Scheme ( the scheme ) on 27 June The fundamental purpose of the scheme is: To provide convenient, relevant and readily understood nutrition information and/or guidance on food packs to assist consumers to make informed food purchases and healthier eating choices. 1 More information on the scheme can be found on the Government s HSR website. The Ministers approved numerous high level principles of the scheme which included: - Initially a voluntary scheme with option of regulation - use of the words Health Star Rating - a nutrient algorithm as the basis for the scheme - a 10 point star system in half star increments that provided a score out of five stars - integrated approaches for confectionery and beverages (refer below) At the time, Ministers agreed to review progress of implementing the scheme at two points in time. The first was two (2) years after the scheme was approved (June 2016) and the second was five (5) years after the scheme was approved (June 2019). Further developments of the scheme occurred after the 27 June 2014 adoption date, which included refinement of outstanding anomalies, particularly relating to dairy-based products, and the establishment of an FOPL Advisory and Oversight Committee, charged with overseeing the roll-out of the scheme and to handle any anomalies that might arise from the calculation of stars. Australian Beverages Council FOPL HSR Guidelines Page 1 1 Front-of-Pack Labelling (FoPL) Project Committee: Objectives and principles for the development of a FoPL scheme

Overview All Foods The full HSR scheme s graphic (refer Figure One below) is to be applied to all processed foods, with the exception of confectionery and some beverages (see Scheme Elements -

2 Overview All Foods The full HSR scheme s graphic (refer Figure One below) is to be applied to all processed foods, with the exception of confectionery and some beverages (see Scheme Elements - Beverages). The all foods full scheme s graphic is comprised of a number of key elements, being: - the stars (including number and Health Star Rating ) - the energy declaration and - the nutrient content declarations including three minimum (SAT FAT, SUGARS, SODIUM) and one optional. Figure One Full HSR Scheme Elements Details on how the various elements can be displayed, referred to as the display hierarchy, can be found in the HSR Style Guide. Please note the graphic in Figure One applies to all processed foods. Beverages As part of the Ministerial approval for the scheme, integrated approaches for confectionery and all beverages (excluding dairy-based beverages) was agreed to. The integrated approach in essence is for manufacturers of these products to use, or integrate, only the energy declaration from the full scheme s graphic, on the FOPL, as a minimum display requirement. It is worthwhile to note that as the scheme is voluntary, beverage manufacturers may opt to display other elements of the scheme s hierarchy. The Beverages Council recommends that the energy declaration from the scheme be adopted as a minimum requirement, and it is the uptake of the energy icon only for beverages that will be assessed at the Ministerial review milestone dates of June 2016 and June The Advisory and Oversight Committee recently appointed the Heart Foundation of Australia to conduct these assessments on behalf of the Government. The energy declaration options for beverages can be found below (Figure Two). This replaces the current Daily Intake Guide thumbnail. Manufacturers can choose to display either the energy declaration as a percentage of daily intake (%DI) or just the energy declaration without the %DI. Either of these options will be the minimum display requirement for all non-dairy, non-alcoholic beverages. No other elements from the scheme are required. Australian Beverages Council FOPL HSR Guidelines Page 2

3 Figure Two HSR Energy Declaration Options (per pack or per serve) OR The artwork file for the HSR energy icon can be can be accessed through the HSR calculator on the HSR website. The Excel spreadsheet version of the calculator will allow you to access the file itself, while the online calculator form will allow you to calculate the star rating for individual products and then direct you to the artwork for the corresponding star rating. In both cases, you need to accept the Terms and conditions for the Calculator, then scroll down to access the artwork. Serve Sizes As part of the development of the scheme, the non-alcoholic, non-dairy beverages industry was only one of two from the entire food and grocery category to have industry agreed serve sizes recognized. For beverages (non-dairy), these are: 1. Any amount 600mL is determined to be a single serve; 2. Any amount >600mL is determined to be a multi-serve, and then reverts to 250mL as the standard serve for the pack. For example, a 1.25L bottle of lemonade is comprised of five (5) serves of 250mL each. A 600mL bottle of lemonade (or any amount less than that) is regarded as a single serve. Many manufacturers would be familiar with the application of these serve sizes. For more information on industry agreed serve sizes, refer Table One page 12 of the HSR Style Guide. Regarding PER PACK information to be displayed, beverage manufacturers have three options: 1. As depicted (Fig 2) PER PACK provided the pack size is 600mL capacity OR 2. Display PER xxx ml BOTTLE or PER xxx ml CAN where xxx ml is the total capacity of the pack, provided the amount is 600mL e.g. PER 330mL CAN, OR 3. Display PER 250mL CUP or PER 250mL GLASS where the total capacity of the pack is >600mL e.g. 1.25mL bottle. Please Note: Other categories within the broader food and grocery industry sector, in particular fruit juice, are looking closely at the issue of industry serve sizes. More updates to this guidance document will be provided as and when needed. Australian Beverages Council FOPL HSR Guidelines Page 3

4 Display Size and Colour There is no minimum size for the graphic. However, the HSR Guide states The HSR System graphic can be scaled according to the package size, provided that it remains legible (refer to Standard Legibility Requirements of the FSC). While there is no set display size for the graphic, the Beverages Council recommends the following as per earlier guidance to manufacturers for the previous Daily Intake Guide (DIG) thumbnail: Figure Three Recommended Maximum Dimensions Height 2cm Width 1.5 cm Figure Four Recommended Minimum Dimensions Height 1.2cm Width 0.8cm Where the text for the graphic may not be legible due to background images or colour, a white or contrasting colour panel can be used behind the graphic to further aid legibility. This panel forms part of the energy graphic and can simply be included or removed as required. The colour used is up to the manufacturer and black and white or other suitable monochrome colours would be suitable. Please Note: FSANZ Food Standards Code, Standard Legibility Requirements, still apply with each word, statement, expression or design prescribed to be contained, written or set out in a label must, wherever occurring, be so contained, written or set out legibly and prominently such as to afford a distinct contrast to the background, and in the English language. Australian Beverages Council FOPL HSR Guidelines Page 4

5 Display Options On Pack As identified above, there are two options for displaying the energy icon on FOPL. 1. ENERGY ONLY - For labels displaying just the energy icon without the %DI value: Determine if single serve or multi-serve pack (refer above) Ensure correct reference of pack/container to serve size Take energy value (kj) per serve from Nutrient Information Panel (NIP) and insert into shield here 2. ENERGY + %DI - For beverages displaying the energy icon with the %DI value: Determine if single serve or multi-serve pack (refer above) Ensure correct reference of pack/container to serve size Take energy value (kj) per serve from Nutrient Information Panel (NIP) and insert into shield here Insert %DI value per serve here (refer calculation below) Ensure * refers to back label statement on %DI Display Options External Packaging When bottles, cans or other pack types are enclosed in additional packaging eg. carton wrap or other multi-pack packaging, any energy reference displayed on the external packaging must be the same as that displayed on the individual bottles or cans inside the packaging. For example, if four 250mL cans of energy drinks are wrapped in thin packaging representing a four-pack multi-buy, then any energy reference on the outside must be the same as appearing on the cans themselves. Calculating %DI Values Where %DI is to be included, the %DI must be calculated using the reference values prescribed in FSANZ Food Code Standard 1.2.8, table to subclause 7(3). As stated in the table to the subclause, the reference value for energy is 8700 kj, representing the average energy consumption per day for adults and children over 4 years of age in Australia and New Zealand 2,3. The following formula is used to determine the %DI: %DI = Quantity of energy in a serving x 100 Reference value Australian Beverages Council FOPL HSR Guidelines Page 5

6 Example If one serving of the beverage contains 500kJ of Energy and the reference value for Energy is 8700kJ, the %DI for Energy, for one serving of the beverage, rounded to the nearest whole number (refer Rounding Rules below), would be: Quantity of Energy in a serving x x 100 = 5.75 = 6% (rounded up see below) Reference value 8700 Rounding Rules Percent DI values should be expressed as a whole number through standard rounding (unless < 1) When the labelled value is 1%, the figure will have no decimal places as per the mathematical rounding method e.g. 6% and not 5.75% When the labelled value is < 1%, the figure will have one decimal place e.g. 0.5% When the labelled value < 0.1% e.g. 0.04%, the figure will be rounded up to 0.1% Where the labelled value for a nutrient is zero, the statement of a %DI is at the discretion of the manufacturer. Use of %DI or %DI* When %DI is used on the FOPL energy icon, additional information must also be included in the NIP. The presence on the FOPL of either %DI or %DI* (refer below) will trigger the requirements under clause 7 of Standard Nutrition Information Requirements of the Food Standards Code to include the percentage daily intake for fat, saturated fatty acids, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and sodium per serving, in addition to energy, in the NIP. Regarding use of %DI or %DI*, manufacturers have a choice: 1. If manufacturers choose %DI* (i.e. with *) - RECOMMENDED: - Ensure NIP listing requirements per clause 7 referred to above are met; and - On back of pack within the NIP, include this statement *Based on an average adult diet of 8700 kj or Percentage daily intakes are based on an average adult diet of 8700 kj. 2. If manufacturers choose to use only %DI (i.e. without *): - Ensure NIP listing requirements per clause 7 referred to above are met - On back of pack within the NIP, include this statement Percentage daily intakes are based on an average adult diet of 8700 kj. More Information If any member requires any additional information or assistance in adopting or interpreting these guidelines, please contact: Colin Felder Technical and Regulatory Affairs Manager Australian Beverages Council P: M: E: Colin.felder@australianbeverages.org Australian Beverages Council FOPL HSR Guidelines Page 6

GDA Labelling Style Guide

GDA Labelling Style Guide This guide is designed to ensure consistency in terms of layout and style amongst the companies that decided to provide GDAs in a graphical form in the context of CIAA scheme