Back in September 2012, an Irish food safety inspector noticed some discrepancies in the labelling and packaging of some frozen meat brought in by a small import-export company. By January 2013, the…
Obesity, over-diagnosis, the NDIS, vaccinations and open access for genetic information were just some of the issues covered in 2012.
Kylie May; shutterstock.com; Morberg; Pranjal Mahn
It promised to be a full year of reforms: pokies legislation, front-of-pack food labels and a dental system that doesn’t cost those in need an arm and a leg. But while we did see cigarette companies forced…
The star scheme is yet to undergo consumer testing to see if it helps guide healthier food choices.
Bruce A Stockwell
The federal government is likely to introduce a star system for food packages next year to help consumers make healthier food choices, ABC’s Lateline reported last week. Much like the energy star rating…
The move to end the tax appears to be a political one.
Sam Howzit
Denmark has scrapped the world’s first “fat tax”, which was charged on foods high in saturated fats, after just one year. Plans to introduce a tax on sugar have also been abandoned.
In making the announcement…
There’s a great disparity between how different foods are labelled in Australia.
Mathew Sanders
Australia has one of the more rigorous food labelling systems in the world for genetically modified (GM) attributes. All foods with more than 1% GM in any ingredient are required to be identified as “genetically…
How do you pick a fake among free-range egg producers?
OKNOVOKGHT/Flickr
Consumers are increasingly concerned about how farm animals are kept, raised, transported, and slaughtered. Most people show their concern by buying “ethical” farm products, such as free-range eggs and…
Health claims are commonly exploited to promote the consumption of highly processed foods.
Flickr / ajleon
Australian and New Zealand ministers responsible for food regulation last week bowed to lobbying from processed food manufacturers and agreed to permit them to market products with general level health…
Food labels may help curb the obesity epidemic but opponents willfully misrepresent what we know about them.
Marshall Astor
Nutritional labels on food packaging empower consumers to make healthier and more informed food choices. But like other measures taken for public health, food labelling also has its critics.
There’s clear…
The Heart Foundation today announced plans to dump its tick from takeaway foods, citing unfair advantage for companies such as McDonalds over small takeaway outlets that can’t afford the accreditation…
NGOs, public health associations and consumer organisations disagree with industry groups about the most useful system for labelling our foods.
The fight over how to label our food has never been more intense. On one side of the argument we have public health associations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and consumer groups looking for effective…
