Victorian fast food stores to list kilojoule count under new law

Grant McArthur
April 6, 2016
Herald Sun
FAST-food stores will have to reveal the energy content of every item on their menus under new state laws.
The laws, which are due to apply from mid-2017, will require menus and price tags to display the kilojoule count of all unpackaged and ready-to-eat food and drink.
The labelling scheme is to cover all fast-food chains with at least 20 Victorian outlets and at least 50 nationally.
It would also apply to 650 supermarkets.
About half of the 3000 individual takeaway stores to be covered by the mandatory labelling laws have already begun voluntarily displaying the information.
These include McDonald’s, KFC, Subway, Hungry Jack’s and Pizza Hut.
The average Australian eats out more than four times a week, and health minister Jill Hennessy said the measures were necessary so Victorians could make informed choices.
“Many people are unaware that a single fast-food meal may contain most of an adult’s daily kilojoule intake.
The laws are due to apply from mid-2017.
“We’re making sure Victorians and their families have the right information to make healthier choices about the food they eat,” she said.
“With rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes increasing at an alarming rate and placing a huge burden on our health system, this is an important step forward in tackling this issue and improving the health of Victorians,” Ms Hennessy said.
Fast foods, which are typically energy dense, are said to be one of the main reasons for two in three Victorians being overweight or obese.
Ms Hennessy is to formally announce the measures today, and will introduce legislation to parliament in the coming months. Businesses will have 12 months to comply.
Similar kilojoule labelling schemes have been introduced in New South Wales, South Australia, and the ACT, and were recently agreed to in Queensland.
In February, a Heart Foundation and Cancer Council investigation found only two of the nine major fast-food chains in Victoria provided enough nutritional information for customers to make informed choices about what they ate.
Heart Foundation Victoria’s Kellie-Ann Jolly yesterday congratulated the government on the new labelling measures, saying too many people did not realise the true cost to them of the food they ate.
“For example, most people wouldn’t be aware that a typical combo meal from a fast-food chain often contains more than half of a person’s daily kilojoule needs,” she said.
“Evidence shows that people will choose healthier options when kilojoule information is provided on menus and an education campaign is in place to help explain what it means,” she said.
Ms Jolly said the introduction of labelling in NSW had seen the energy content of the foods being ordered drop by about 15 per cent, which was enough to prevent weight gain.