Food ministers met on 13 February 2026 to consider food regulation and policy matters. Key outcomes relating to the Health Star Rating (HSR) system and Nutritional Information Panels (NIP) on packaging were discussed.
Food ministers agreed to request Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) prepare a proposal on mandating the HSR System in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
FSANZ will now undertake two rounds of public consultation to inform the proposal back to ministers for a final decision.
Ministers also agreed to publish the HSR Uptake Report and the Consumer Research Report on the HSR website to support transparency and public confidence.
Ministers also discussed the completion of FSANZ’s review of the NIP, which confirmed that regulatory changes to the NIP are not required at this time.
The review confirmed that the current NIP requirements continue to meet their purpose of providing consistent and meaningful nutrition information, balancing consumer needs with international alignment and industry practicality.
Ministers noted that the review found no clear benefit to mandating ‘added sugars’ labelling.