Health Star Rating

The Health Star Rating (HSR) System - March 2022

The Health Star Rating (HSR) system is a voluntary front-of-pack labelling system that uses stars to indicate how healthy a product is compared with similar products. Products are ranked from 0.5 to 5 stars with the healthier products carrying 5 stars.

United Fresh has advocated from the planning stages of the HSR for all fresh fruit and vegetables to be included in the rating system and to automatically receive 5 stars. United Fresh supported these points in submissions that fed into the independent Five Year Review in 2019.

The review recommended several adjustments to the system to better align with dietary guidelines. These recommendations are to be adopted by November 2022 and include that a 5 star rating can automatically be applied to fresh and minimally processed fruit and vegetables.

Fresh and minimally processed fruit and vegetables means all whole fresh fruit (except coconut) and vegetables, fungi and legumes (except peanuts) as sold with no processing, plus these same products that have only been peeled, cut and/or surface treated and/or blanched and/or frozen (not dried), or canned without the addition of fat, sugars/sweeteners or salt.

United Fresh believes an automatic 5 star rating on all fresh fruit and vegetables supports consumers to make healthier choices. The messaging behind a 5 star rating goes hand in hand with the 5+ A Day brand and we recommend that our members use both logos on fresh fruit and vegetable packaging and marketing material.

For more information on the implementation of the changes resulting from the HSR Five Year Review, click here.