A survey of 164 muesli, nut and fruit snack bars in Woolworths and Coles has found 63 per cent of them still do not carry health star ratings, while some manufacturers appear to be only putting stars on their healthiest bars.
Kellogg's, Weight Watchers and Carman's were among brands highlighted in the survey, conducted by the Obesity Policy Coalition, for failing to use the health star rating on some of their products.
"Most people buy these products thinking they're a healthy snack choice for themselves or their children," said Jane Martin, executive manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition, who is calling on the federal government to make the rating system mandatory
"Many would be shocked to know that some Weight Watchers and Special K bars would score as low as 1.5 out of a possible five on the star rating system."
Bars that did not carry health stars were given a rating by entering the information on the product's nutritional information panel into the calculator on the Health Star Rating website.
Among the products that lacked a rating were the Weight Watchers Cherry & Dark Chocolate Delight, the Weight Watchers Choc Delight and the Weight Watchers Coconut Delight bars, all of which had a score of 1.5.
The Kellogg's snack bars identified included the Nutri Grain Bars and LCM Rice Bubbles (Split Stix) in Banana Choc and Yoghurty, all of which had a score of one.
In a statement to Fairfax Media, Kellogg's confirmed it would be rolling out the health star rating system on snacks, starting with new products from June, then across the rest of their range by the end of 2018.
"In 2015, our focus was on ensuring that all of our cereals included the health star rating system ... We have now turned our attention to doing the same for our snacks...We encourage other manufacturers to follow suit," a Kellogg's spokesperson said.
First launched in June 2014, the rating system helps consumers compare the nutritional value of food products. The healthier the product, the higher the number of stars it receives.
But Ms Martin said, while all companies were aware of the system, there were still "thousands" of products that did not display a rating, running the "danger of it being used in a selective way".
She pointed to Carman's Fine Foods, which displayed a four star rating on its Original Fruit Free Muesli Bars, but not on its Oat Slice products in the Cranberry & Blueberry and Golden Oat & Coconut flavours, which both scored one star.
"Carman's appears to be using the system as a promotional tool by only displaying the stars on its healthiest products ... It's difficult to say whether it's deliberate or not."
Carman's Fine Foods owner Carolyn Creswell disagreed with the rating and told Fairfax Media the rating system needed an "overhaul" before it was made mandatory.
"The system is broken," she said, adding that the reason there was no rating on the Oat Slice products was because they were among their bakery products, a sector where no manufacturers were using the rating system.
"At the moment, it accepts sugar but doesn't accept fat ... If I want to increase my rating, I have to change [from using real butter] to margarine, which has artificial colours and numbers ... It's punishing real food ... and consumers don't trust it"
A recent Ipsos survey of 2500 Australians revealed that shoppers were confused and losing confidence in the health star rating system and only one in five always or mostly looked at the score.
The Obesity Policy Coalition survey comes amid warnings from Western Sydney Local Health District chief executive Danny O'Connor, that rising rates of obesity and diabetes in Sydney's western suburbs will overwhelm hospitals within 15 years, requiring specialist factories to be built to perform amputations.
A Weight Watchers spokesperson said the company used its own "SmartPoint" system to help its customers make healthy choices, rather than the health star rating, which did not take into account the serving size.
"We encourage our consumers to look at the nutritionals and ingredients stated on our product's packaging as well as all other products in market to guide them in making informed purchasing decisions," she said.
"The Weight Watchers snack bar range includes products that suit all snacking occasions... Weight Watchers is transparent with its consumers, the bars stated in the article are described as "indulgent bars" on front of pack."
