So are the quick serve chains giving us enough information?

The “Investigation into kilojoule menu labelling in Victorian chain food outlets” report by The Cancer Council and the National Heart Foundation has shed a light on the nutritional information being provided by the quick serve chains in Victoria.

The report shows that only two of the nine major quick serve chains in Victoria are providing consumers with enough information to be able to make an informed purchase decision.

Head of Prevention at Cancer Council Victoria, Craig Sinclair said; “In Victoria you need bionic eyesight and Sherlock Holmes’ detective skills to find out how many kilojoules are hidden in the burgers, donuts, pizzas and chips we’re consuming. Whereas, over the border in New South Wales, there are regulations that provide clear guidelines on how this information should be provided. This form of labelling together with an education campaign has been shown to be effective, with consumers choosing meals that are 15% lower in kilojoules than prior to the implementation of the system.”

It raise the question why, when we have a national labelling standard in the Food Standards Code, that different states are once again having different requirements. The reason the Food Standards code was agreed to was so that the country has the same food requirements in each jurisdiction. This makes it easier to monitor and control, and, most importantly, national companies, like these quick serve chains, do not have to meet different requirements in different places.

Mr Sinclair said; “The Victorian fast food outlets surveyed also operate in New South Wales where they are subject to this regulation; one wonders why the industry chooses to deny Victorians the same access to what should be basic nutrition information,”.

The following were the report’s findings;

• Only two of the nine (22%) chains, Boost Juice and KFC, consistently displayed kilojoule information.
• Almost half of the 59 outlets (46%) surveyed did not have kilojoule information on all items for sale.
• Almost one in five (19%) did not reference the average adult’s daily intake of kilojoules, as required in NSW, which allows customers to consider their choices in the context of their daily energy requirements.
• Less than half (47%) met the New South Wales standards for font, size and position of the kilojoule information
• Less than three in four (73%) provided kilojoule information that was legible to consumers.
• All chains provided kilojoule information on their website.