- George Institute of Global Health tested 1,500 menu items at 13 fast food chains
- Used supermarket health-star rating system to test products across Australia
- Gloria Jean’s was the worst performing chain with an average rating of just 2.0
- It was closely followed by McCafe with 2.1 average and Muffin Break scored 2.2
Max Margan For Daily Mail Australia
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Australia’s fast food chains spectacularly failed when their products were put to the test using the supermarket health-star rating system.
The George Institute of Global Health and Cancer Council NSW tested 1,500 menu items at 13 leading fast food franchises using the contentious food rating method.
Gloria Jean’s was the worst performing chain with an average rating of just 2.0 across its menus, closely followed by McCafe at 2.1 and Muffin Break at 2.2.
Australia’s fast food chains spectacularly failed when the supermarket health-star rating system was applied to their products. Gloria Jean’s was the worst performing chain with an average rating of just 2.0 across its menus (stock image)
The George Institute of Global Health and Cancer Council NSW tested 1,500 menu items at 13 leading fast food franchises using the contentious food rating method (stock image)
The study found 42 per cent of all products which scored 0.5 ratings came from Muffin Break, including its affogato drink, Anzac biscuit and chocolate mousse cake.
Muffin Break general manager Natalie Brennan told The Age those three items weren’t widely sold across Australia and didn’t reflect the chain’s wider menu.
‘Our muffin range includes gluten free, low fat and lower carb options and our evolving savoury menu also includes freshly made sandwiches, salads and wraps,’ she said.
The results revealed that cafe style chains had lower average ratings than burger and pizza chains, while chicken and sandwich outlets fared the best.
The study found that chicken and sandwich outlets fared the best (stock image of an Oporto store in Melbourne)
The best performers were Subway and Oporto with an average rating of 3.4 each (stock image)
AVERAGE HEATH-STAR RATINGS FOR AUSTRALIA’S FAST FOOD CHAINS
CHAIN
Gloria Jean’s
McCafe
Muffin Break
Hungry Jack’s
Pizza Hut
KFC
Domino’s
McDonald’s
Coffee Club
Crust
Red Rooster
Oporto
Subway
HSR AVERAGE
2
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.3
2.5
2.6
2.6
2.8
2.9
3.2
3.4
3.4
The best performers were Subway and Oporto with an average rating of 3.4 each, while Red Rooster was closely behind at 3.2.
The authors of the study called for the health-star ratings system to be extended to cover fast food restaurants.
‘When you look at the range of foods in the likes of Muffin Break, McCafé and Gloria Jean’s there are a huge amount of energy dense desserts and sugary drinks,’ co-author Dr Elizabeth Dunford said.
‘Some of the cakes on sale contained in just one serve close to half the energy intake the average Australian needs in a day.
‘Consumers aren’t stupid, they know cakes aren’t healthy. But having a half star staring down at them might help hammer the point home.’
Co-author, Professor Bruce Neal of the Food Policy Division at The George Institute, hit back at critics of the health-star ratings system and urged for it to be applied to fast food outlets.
‘It makes sense to have one labelling system supporting Australian’s food choices,’ he said.
Kentucky Fried Chicken stores scored an average health star rating of 2.5 across its menu (stock)
Hungry Jack’s scored the equal fourth lowest rating at 2.3, according to the study (stock image)
‘While we hear lots about the problems with the HSR it’s actually a pretty good system. It gets it right most of the time and consumers like it. We need to work to improve it, not trash it.
Cancer Council NSW’s Nutrition Program Manager Wendy Watson supported the push to extend the ratings system to fast food restaurants.
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‘We know that 1 in 3 cases of cancer in Australia are preventable,’ she said.
‘Evidence shows that being overweight or obese significantly increases your risk of 11 different types of cancer, with nearly 4,000 cancer cases caused by obesity each year in Australia.
The study found 42 per cent of all products which scored 0.5 ratings came from Muffin Break, including its affogato drink, Anzac biscuit and chocolate mousse cake
A Gloria Jean’s spokeswoman said it would embrace the idea of displaying health stars on its menus to help customers make better choices
‘These findings show that it’s never been more important for Australians to have one food labelling system to help them quickly and easily identify healthier choices.’
A Gloria Jean’s spokeswoman said it would embrace the idea of displaying health stars on its menus to help customers make better choices.
‘We believe in educating our customers and providing them with all the information required to inform purchasing decisions,’ she told the Age.
The HSR system was introduced in 2014 for use on supermarket foods, rating them from 0.5 to 5 stars based on the kJ, saturated fat, sugar, sodium, protein, fibre and fruit and vegetable content.
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