{"id":44380,"date":"2025-07-06T21:52:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T21:52:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/44380\/"},"modified":"2025-07-06T21:52:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T21:52:19","slug":"top-nutritionist-brands-australias-health-star-rating-system-inaccurate-amid-adhd-and-cancer-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/44380\/","title":{"rendered":"Top nutritionist brands Australia’s Health Star Rating system ‘inaccurate’ amid ADHD and cancer concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

By OLIVIA DAY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 01:51 EDT, 4 July 2025 | Updated: 01:57 EDT, 4 July 2025 <\/p>\n

A leading nutritionist has accused Australia’s ‘inaccurate’ Health Star Rating (HSR) system of ‘misleading’ parents as a growing number of popular lunchbox items marketed to children are linked to ADHD<\/a> and cancer<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mandy Sacher, a paediatric nutritionist, says parents are being lied to by the HSR on boxes of cereals and muesli bars at their local supermarket.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She says the government-backed health star rating on products marketed to children from brands such as Uncle Toby’s, Milo, Coles<\/a>, Woolworths<\/a> and Aldi<\/a>\u00a0are inaccurate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Food manufacturers are responsible for the accurate use of the system, however, the rating is not compulsory and doesn’t account for added processed ingredients.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ms Sacher found many popular muesli bars would score just 1.5 to 2 stars under her own ‘Real Food Rating’ system despite their high HRS.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said parents were being ‘misled’ into buying products that actually contained up to nine different types of sugar and were linked to a series of health conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The processed snacks are now being directly linked to behavioural issues in children, patterns of addictive eating, ADHD and mental health issues, the nutritionist said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0‘A 2024 meta-analysis of more than 58,000 children showed that those consuming more ultra-processed snacks were 25 per cent more likely to exhibit ADHD symptoms,’ Ms Sacher said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Nutritionist <\/p>\n

Nutritionist Mandy Sacher (pictured) has called for an urgent overhaul of the government-backed Health Star Rating after finding the system was inaccurate and misleading parents<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The paediatric nutritionist says parents are being lied to by the Health Star Rating on boxes of cereals and muesli bars at their local supermarket (stock image)<\/p>\n

‘We’re not just fuelling poor diets – we’re actively undermining kids’ behaviour, mental health, focus and long-term health.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

The nutritionist has launched her own Real Food Rating which organises popular lunchbox items into five categories; Best, Good, Okay, Limit and Avoid.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Products to avoid include Milo Bars, K-Time Baked Twists, Chewy Choc Chip Muesli Bars, Aldi Hillcrest Yoghurt Museli Bars, Nutri-Grain Bars, and Kellogg’s LCM bars.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘With so many so-called ‘healthy’ products misleading parents, it was time to create a tool that truly empowers families to shop smarter. This isn’t just about star ratings – this is a movement to reclaim our food and protect our kids,’ Ms Sacher said.<\/p>\n

Ironically, wholefood-based bars made from nuts, seeds and dates were unrated or scored lower than those products filled with sugar and additives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘This is not a system grounded in real nutrition – it’s a marketing loophole,’ she said.<\/p>\n

The nutritionist is calling on the federal government to urgently review the HSR system – which hasn’t been updated since 2014.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Brazil has already integrated food processing levels into its national dietary guidelines. France is refining Nutri-Score to address public health gaps. Canada has introduced mandatory front-of-pack warning labels,’ she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘And now the United States has tabled a bill to require clear front-of-pack warnings on ultra-processed foods. Australia is falling behind – and it’s our children who will pay the price. We need a system that puts real food first.’<\/p>\n

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