New Zealand's Health Star Rating system is "ineffective", according to a nutrition and global health researcher.
It comes as the National Party say they want to scrap the current system and replace it with a new one.
Currently, food manufacturers voluntarily include the rating on food labels which uses a scale of 0.5 - 5 stars. The number of stars is based on energy, saturated fat, salt, sugar content, fibre, protein, fruit, vegetable, nut and legume content of the foods.
Last month, the NZ Herald reported that National MP Dr Shane Reti said the current system is no longer "fit for purpose".
“I think the star rating system needs to be looked at. Australia’s starting to move in other directions, and I think we just need to rethink how we make it easy for [consumers] to make the best choice and the right choice,” Reti said.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, nutrition and global health researcher Boyd Swinburne agreed the system is ineffective, but said replacing it wouldn't be easy.
"Earlier this year we had 60 plus health and nutrition experts rate the current Government on food policy, including the current food star rating, and no surprises not much has happened in the last three years or the last 12 years.
"When it came to rating how we were going with the Health Star Rating, those experts would agree with Shane Reti that this is a third rate system, it's voluntary, it doesn't significantly change behaviour or buying patterns."
He said there were "much better" front of packet labelling systems out there.
"Health Star Rating system is a big complicated system because we're tied in with Australia and if we want to change it, and I definitely think it does need changing, this is a big long battle.
"Not only would we have to shift Australia into agreeing to do that, but the food industry would put great pressure on to keep the existing ineffective system. They do not want what's happening in Latin America where they have warning labels saying this is high in sugar or salt or fat or whatever because they know that that makes an influence on purchasing behaviour."
Swinburne said Europe has a good system, and New Zealand has the potential to follow suit, but were stuck in our ways.
"We're like a placebo country, we're doing nothing, other countries are doing way more than we are."
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