Leading pediatric nutritionist exposes food Health Star Rating system
ADHD, gut damage, cancer and addictive eating have now been linked to a number of additives and chemicals found in popular foods.


News,com.au
July 4, 2025

A number of family favourite food items have been revealed to contain harmful additives and chemicals, covered up by the “misleading” Health Star Rating (HSR) system.   

Pediatric nutritionist Mandy Sacher said foods advertised as healthy and marketed to children with a 4-star health rating or higher actually have ingredients linked to ADHD, gut damage, cancer and addictive eating.

Under current HSR rules, products can receive high star ratings for adding isolated protein or synthetic fibre, regardless of overall ingredient quality or processing level, and there is no penalty for the presence of artificial additives, refined starches or emulsifiers.

Ms Sacher said the public is “flying blind” when it comes to deciding how to pick between so-called healthy foods.

She has launched her own rating system, called The Real Food Rating, which scores food based on how it’s made in hopes of helping families “spot red flags, decode packaging claims, and choose food based on what matters most”.

“We’re calling on the government to collaborate with independent, science-led systems like The Real Food Rating, which already evaluates food based on what families actually care about, not outdated nutrient profiles,” she told news.com.au.

“In my view, the Health Star Rating (HSR) is a ticking public health time bomb – it could one day be seen as the asbestos scandal of our food system.”

“It’s misleading Australian families, especially parents, by giving ultra-processed foods a health halo.   

“Products full of additives, synthetic fibres, emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners and industrial seed oils are scoring 4 or 5 stars, yet emerging evidence links these ingredients to ADHD, gut damage, insulin resistance, anxiety, depression and even cancer.”


Pediatric nutritionist Mandy Sacher have revealed a number of family favourites – with 4-star or higher health ratings – actually contain harmful additives and chemicals.   

The pediatric nutritionist said these ingredients and additives are often found in many popular muesli bar products, including those which are rated three, four and five stars under the system.

“The system completely ignores the internationally recognised NOVA scale, which classifies foods based on their level of processing,” Ms Sacher said.

“These ultra-processed snacks are engineered to override satiety and promote over consumption, yet they’re being marketed to kids with government endorsement.

“Parents trust the stars. But often, the higher the rating, the more processed the product.

“That’s not just confusing – it’s dangerous.”

What common additives should you be looking out for?
Emulsifiers:  471, 472, 476, 492, 407, 466

Artificial sweeteners:  aspartame 951, sucralose 955

Preservatives:  sulphur dioxide and sodium metabisulphite

Industrial seed and Processed fats oils

Isolated and synthetic fibres:  inulin, cellulose, polydextrose

She said only 32 per cent of products carry the HSR rating.

“Even the government’s own 2019 review flagged serious flaws: no independent watchdog, no penalties for additives, and no consistency,” she aid.

“Six years later, nothing has changed.”

When asked whether the problem lies in how the rating is calculated, or how it’s communicated, Ms Sacher simply replied: “Both.”

“The HSR scores food based only on nutrients like sugar, salt and added fibre, but it ignores how processed the food is, and what it’s made from,” she said.

Ms Sacher said only 32 per cent of products carry the Healthy Star Rating.

“Stars appear on the front of packs as a government-endorsed health symbol.

Parents assume a 4-star snack is a good choice – but those stars can be manipulated by adding synthetic fibre or lab-made vitamins, even if the product is ultra-processed.

“Food tech is advancing rapidly, but the HSR hasn’t been updated in over a decade, since 2014 and it doesn’t account for processing, it doesn’t penalise additives.

“It allows snacks made in labs to appear “healthy” based on technical nutrient scores.”

Ms Sacher believes the system rewards “nutrient manipulation, not food integrity”, with a rising number of illnesses, such as hypertension, anxiety and depression, fatty liver, and type two diabetes appearing in young children.

The pediatric nutritionist is calling for a “full reset” of the HSR system.

A number of illnesses are on the rise among children, she said.

“These foods may disrupt gut health, hijack appetite, impair mood.

Who needs to look at a star rating to figure out how healthy some food item is?

There are healthy diets and lifestyles, not healthy foods.

I have always ignored it just like I ignore the food pyramid.

When a bottle of reconstituted apple juice (pure sugar) can get 5 stars, whereas a tub of stuffed olives only gets 3.5, you know it is fake.

The food pyramid is also very problematic.

A video presentation from Dr. Paul Mason (based in Sydney) who debunks all the stupid "nutritional guidelines" currently out there:



Worth watching.

MattE wrote on Jul 5^th, 2025 at 6:48pm:

Gordon wrote on Jul 5^th, 2025 at 10:44am:


... it would be quite amazing.

“We’re calling on the government to collaborate with independent, science-led systems like The Real Food Rating, which already evaluates food based on what families actually care about, not outdated nutrient profiles.”

Kennedy is anti-science.

I love Barbara O'Neill and he sensible approach to diet: