Under the plan, fresh juice would receive as little as two stars while diet soft drinks would be rated with three and a half stars, a difference which federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud says is “simply ludicrous”.Fruit growers are now fighting for states including Victoria to back the federal government’s push for a minimum four-star rating for juices, arguing the system will otherwise cause consumer confusion and impact sales in an already difficult year for farmers.
Mr Littleproud has written to his Victorian counterparts, but a week out from a crucial meeting of state and federal ministers, they are yet to respond.“We want all Victorians to enjoy the benefits of healthy, active lives and that’s why we support healthier food and drink options,” a state government spokeswoman said.“We will consider all sensible suggestions when it comes to supporting families to live healthy lives.”The rating overhaul would see fresh apple juice given a two-star rating, while orange juice would receive two and a half stars.Dietitian Teri Lichtenstein, a director of Nutrition Australia, said national guidelines indicated half a glass of fresh juice could be consumed occasionally to help adults consume enough fruit. “A serve (1/2 cup) of 100 per cent orange juice is a rich source of vitamin C and folate, important nutrients for immunity and psychological wellbeing,” she said.Citrus Australia chief Nathan Hancock warned the labelling change would be a painful blow to growers.He said the new rating system was targeting sugars “indiscriminately” and ignored the health benefits of fresh juice while rewarding diet soft drinks with “no nutritional value”.
The Splash
Mr Littleproud agreed, saying: “It is simply ludicrous for the majority of states to support the classification of fizzy drinks like diet colas healthier than a glass of pure fruit or vegetable juice.”Earlier this month, he wrote to Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley and Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes to urge them to change their position.“Classifying fruit and vegetable juices worse than soft drinks will discourage consumers from choosing these healthy and natural products, undermine public trust and confidence in the health star rating system and leave consumers worse off overall,’ Mr Littleproud said.He said the “crazy” change also ignored the need for consumers to take “personal responsibility … about the quantities of any food group they put down their throats”.
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