Not so blessed are the cheesemakers under proposed health star ratings shakeup

Cheesemakers are looking far from the cats that swallowed the cream under a proposed shake up of Australia’s health ratings system that could see many of their products plummet to one star.

In possibly a welcome distraction to border lockdowns, state and federal ministers will meet on Friday to thrash out a revised health star rating system for food.

One of the decisions will be whether to proceed with the controversial Calculator 2 regime, which would see more than half of everyday household cheese products rate less than three stars, with some scoring as low as one star.

The Calculator 2 regime therefore has dairy producers cheesed off. Giving some cheese a rating of one star would place it lower than a box of Arnotts Pizza Shapes, which has two stars – even a box of Cheddar Shapes would have a higher rating at 1.5 stars.

But it would be ahead of Tim Tams and Toblerone: each has half a star.

Australian Dairy Products Federation executive director and dietitian Janine Waller said under that system, Australians might feel cheese is an unhealthy choice when it is recommended as an essential part of the daily diet.

“Cheese is an integral part of the dairy food group, which alongside grains, vegetables and legumes, lean meats and fruits, is considered a five food group,” Ms Waller said.

“The Australian Dietary Guidelines state that five food groups are those that should be consumed regularly as part of a balanced diet.

“Cheese is not an indulgent food, nor is it one that is usually eaten in excess. In fact, those that do eat cheese daily usually eat only one third of the recommended daily serve – around a third of a small match box.”

Cheese, yoghurt and milk sit alongside lean meat, poultry and fish, below healthy fats in the healthy food pyramid, which many Australians grew up with as a guide to healthy eating.

But Ms Waller said despite being a five food group, dairy is the second most under-consumed after vegetables – with 90 per cent of Australians not consuming their recommended serves of dairy each day.

She was concerned that the proposed changes to the health star rating system could sway people further away from dairy.

“The under-consumption of dairy has serious health consequences, resulting in 50 per cent of Australians aged two years and over not meeting their daily calcium requirements.

“The Heart Foundation recently updated their dairy guidelines, recommending that full fat cheese be considered as an option for healthy Australians.

“We see no reason why cheese continues to get such a bad rap.”

‘Harmonise’ health star ratings

Deanna Mak, a nutritionist at the world’s biggest dairy exporter Fonterra, called for state and federal ministers to harmonise the health star rating system with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and Heart Foundation recommendations to eliminate potential confusion.

“Australia makes great tasting and nutritious cheese, using high-quality fresh milk from farmers.

Dairy is a key contributor to Australia’s economy and cheese is an important part of a healthy balanced diet, as recommended by the Australian Dietary Guidelines and Heart Foundation,” Ms Mak said.

“We’re supportive of front of pack labelling, but it’s important that the health star rating is in harmony with the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Currently, there are anomalies in the way cheese is rated which need to be addressed so that it is aligned with milk and yoghurt as a five-food group food.”

State and territory ministers will meet as part of the Australian and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation on Friday.