Food Labels: National Heart Foundation

National Heart Foundation - pick the tick

The Heart Foundation "tick" helps people make healthy food choices

Foods that carry the tick are always LOW or LOWER IN SATURATED FAT
but can still be high in total fat. The tick can also be found on foods traditionally high in saturated fat.

LIMITATIONS

Manufacturers must pay $2000 - $50,000 per year to use tick, the larger the product sales, the more the tick costs.

It does not mention the scheme is voluntary; so a similar product without tick could be just as good. Not all companies make use of the tick even though their products may qualify.

Some consumers may think the tick means the food could prevent heart disease & foods without tick are bad for you. The whole diet, not individual 'magic' foods are the key to healthy eating

The tick isn't a licence to eat as much of a ticked food as you like.
The tick may mislead consumers into consuming larger than normal portion sizes of products high in fats.

For more information see on-line brochure written by Rosemary Stanton on Food Labels

For further details about the program visit the Heart Foundation we site.

Audio Transcripts

The tick is the NHF or National Heart Foundation's guide to help people make healthy food choices quickly and easily. "Approved" foods are lower in saturated fat, sodium and/or sugar and higher in dietary fibre when compared to "standard or regular" foods in each category e.g full fat cheese, milk or icecream. Foods with NHF tick are healthy choices amongst foods of a similar type. They meet NHF guidelines for total fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and where appropriate, fibre. NHF has set guidelines for 10 different categories.

The tick can appear on foods that are high in fat, like margarines, oils and nuts. This is because the type of fat in these products have less saturated fats and a greater proportion of unsaturated fats. The Heart Foundation's policy states there is good evidence that an increase in the consumption of saturated and trans fatty acids, rather than total fat, increases the risk of coronary heart disease.Full fat dairy milk and cheese are ranked as the greatest sources of saturated fat in the Australian diet. The tick can also be found on dairy foods, like cheese and icecream, to help people choose the ones that are lower in total fat, saturated fat and sodium when compared to standard foods in these categories e.g reduced fat cheddar cheese (25% fat) also carries the NHF tick.

'Health Claims' that link a nutrient level (like reduced fat) in a food to a lower risk of heart disease are not allowed on food products at the moment. The NHF tick and other look-alike symbols (e.g Nuttelex logo) sail pretty close to the wind when it comes to health claims. Health claims and endorsement logos distract people from the important message about eating a wide variety of foods.