Industry Frequently Asked Questions

Requirements are outlined in the Health Star Rating system Calculator and Style Guide - download the artwork here. 

The Health Star Rating graphic can be scaled to fit packaging so long as all elements can be read clearly and meet the legislative criteria (for example, compliance with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code). 

The Health Star Rating graphic can be displayed with fewer elements. Refer to the options detailed in the Health Star Rating system Calculator and Style Guide. 

Yes. In some circumstances it may be more practical to 'over sticker' existing product packaging with the Health Star Rating system graphic. This may be a temporary approach until permanent packaging changes can be made or may suit some product categories such as imported products. Stickers should not obscure any mandatory labelling required by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Code. The displayed Health Star Rating graphic should also be consistent with the Health Star Rating system Calculator and Style Guide.

The Health Star Rating Calculator can be used in two different formats: online or via a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. 

The Health Star Rating Calculator calculates the Health Star Rating for packaged products. The  Health Star Rating Calculator should be used with the Health Star Rating Calculator and Style Guide. 

Ratings can also be calculated manually using the points tables available in the Calculator and Style Guide.

The Health Star Rating system is voluntary. There is no fee to use the Health Star Rating system. Implementation costs will vary for each organisation depending on factors such as:

• Existing contractual arrangements
• The timing of existing labelling cycles
• Whether labels are designed in-house or contracted out. 

Financial assistance is not available to industry to help with the cost of adopting the Health Star Rating system. However, the Health Star Rating Unit (HSR@health.gov.au) can give guidance on calculating and displaying the Health Star Rating system. 

Download the artwork here. 

You must choose the correct layer for the version of the graphic you want to use on your products e.g. the Health Star Rating circle, the Health Star Rating plus energy icon, or the full Health Star Rating graphic including all nutrient icons. The graphic is not automatically populated with numbers, you must enter the correct nutrient values relevant to your product.

If you believe that your Health Star Rating is incorrect, consider the following points when using the Calculator: 

• Have you chosen the correct category for the food product? 
• Have all nutrient values been entered correctly? 
• Have you entered values (including zero values) in all spreadsheet fields? 
• Has the fruit, vegetables, nuts and legumes content been calculated correctly? 

It is important to keep in mind that Health Star Ratings allow comparisons of similar packaged food products. They do not indicate the healthiness of a product or how much of a food to consume for a balanced diet. 

The Health Star Rating system does not consider other health effects of particular ingredients, nutrients, products or processing methods. 

Send questions about the Health Star Rating and its operation, including complaints, to the Health Star Rating Unit at HSR@health.gov.au. 

The Health Star Rating system is a joint initiative by the Australian, state and territory governments and New Zealand Government. The decision-makers in the system are the Food Ministers. The system was developed in collaboration with industry, public health and consumer groups.

No, there are no application costs and companies don’t pay to use the system. The system is completely voluntary, and manufacturers and retailers can adopt and remove the system at any stage. Companies do bear the costs of producing new packaging to include the Health Star Rating. 

Ice cream and frozen yoghurt products fall into ‘Category 2 – All foods’.  

Category 2D foods includes all dairy foods not included in Health Star Rating Categories 1D or 3D. This includes:

• Cheeses with a calcium level ≤320 mg/100 g (for example, ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese)
• Yoghurt
• Fermented milk products
• Cream
• Dairy desserts
• Other chilled (but not frozen) dairy products. 

This allows consumers to compare products that are in the same section of the supermarket. For example, when choosing which product to buy, consumers should compare frozen yoghurts to ice creams, not refrigerated yoghurt.  

Category 1D may include milk and dairy alternative beverages derived from legumes, cereals, nuts or seeds, if they contain at least 100 mg calcium per 100 mL. The protein criteria only apply to dairy beverage alternatives. The protein criteria are different for legume-based drinks and those derived from cereals, nuts, or seeds.   

Yes.  A beverage that does not meet both the calcium and protein requirements for Category 1D will be considered a non-dairy beverage (Category 1). 

No. The 80 mg calcium per serve requirement only applies to dairy milk products. Plant-based alternatives are required to contain at least 100 mg calcium per 100 mL. This aligns with the Australian Dietary Guidelines, which recommend that consumers should choose dairy alternative beverages that are fortified with at least 100 mg of added calcium per 100 mL.  

The Health Star Rating Excel Calculator will not work if you cut, copy or paste values in and out of cells. Be sure to enter the values manually into each cell. 

Make sure you choose the Health Star Rating category in the cell dropdown box. 

FVNL stands for fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. The Health Star Rating calculator awards points for any fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes in a product. 

FVNL can be non-concentrated, or concentrated (nuts and legumes cannot be concentrated). Examples of concentrated FVNL would be dried fruit or tomato paste.   

The Health Star Rating Calculator was developed by technical experts including nutrition, government, industry, public health, and consumer representatives.

For most products, the Health Star Rating Calculator uses the nutrient content and ingredient information used for the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC). The NPSC was developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and other technical and nutritional experts to regulate health claims in Australia and New Zealand. The NPSC is prescribed in Schedule 5 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (Code). 

The algorithm and the Health Star Rating Calculator are transparent and publicly available on the Health Star Rating website. Anyone can use the Calculator and input the nutrient details of a food product to see its rating and how different components change the rating. 

If you are a consumer or other third party checking a rating, be aware that labels may not include all information relevant to the Health Star Rating, such as fibre and fruit, vegetable, nut and legume (FVNL) content. It is the responsibility of manufacturers and retailers to ensure they correctly calculate the rating. If you are concerned that a rating may be incorrect, please contact HSR@health.gov.au.

The Health Star Rating for a product is determined using an algorithm that has been embedded in the Calculator. To decide a product’s rating, the Health Star Rating Calculator first considers four components of a food associated with increasing the risk factors of chronic diseases. These are: energy, saturated fat, sodium and total sugar content. The information is then balanced against positive components: protein, fibre and fruit, vegetable, nut and legume (FVNL) content.

The Health Star Rating system Calculator and Style Guide contains detailed information on calculating Health Star Ratings correctly. Read the Style Guide before using the Calculator and artwork file.

The Microsoft Excel version of the Calculator can by downloaded from the Calculator page here.