On 13 February 2026, Food Ministers agreed to request Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to prepare a proposal on mandating the Health Star Rating system in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. This follows findings that uptake of the Health Star Rating system has fallen short of voluntary uptake targets set by Food Ministers in 2020. You can read about the targets and uptake here.
FSANZ has commenced this work as Proposal 1067 – Health Star Rating System, following legislated procedures set out in the FSANZ Act 1991. The work is informed by preparatory work which began in 2024 at the request of Food Ministers.
FSANZ’s work is informed by a range of evidence, including stakeholder consultation. The first call for submissions (held May to July 2026) sought feedback on proposed regulatory approaches. The second call for submissions (open now until 23 December 2026) seeks further feedback on a proposed regulatory approach and includes a draft variation to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to mandate the Health Star Rating system.
When FSANZ has completed its assessment and if the assessment is approved by the FSANZ Board, it will be provided to Food Ministers for consideration.
You can read more about FSANZ’s work here.
What this means for industry
- The Health Star Rating system remains voluntary.
- Should FSANZ recommend, and Ministers agree, to mandate the Health Star Rating system, a transition period would be put in place. FSANZ is consulting on transitional arrangements as part of the second call for submissions (2nd CFS).
- We encourage businesses to continue to implement the Health Star Rating on their products in line with current requirements. The Health Star Rating Unit is available to provide support if needed.