Home topics news Source: Atom on Unsplash News News New study raises concerns about online food labels Yajush Gupta September 29, 2023 A recent study has shed light on a concerning issue regarding food product labels in the online supermarkets of major retailers in Australia, Coles and Woolworths. This extensive analysis, conducted on over 22,000 products, reveals a notable absence of essential food label information that is otherwise mandatory for physical products. This includes crucial details such as ingredient lists and allergy warnings. Published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, this study marks the first comprehensive assessment of food labeling completeness in Australian online supermarkets. The findings underscore the pressing need for regulatory adjustments to encompass online retail settings, ensuring that consumers can make informed choices when shopping online. In traditional brick-and-mortar stores, product labels, including Nutrition Information Panels (NIPs), ingredient lists, allergen declarations, and country-of-origin labels, are mandated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Additionally, Health Star Ratings (HSRs), which offer a quick summary of a product’s healthiness, are voluntarily displayed. However, online stores currently lack explicit obligations to adhere to these labeling standards, despite the significant growth in the online grocery market. Damian Maganja, the lead author of the study and a PhD Candidate in food policy at The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW Medicine & Health, points out the discrepancy, saying, “Traditionally, shoppers could simply pick up a product to find relevant information.