Nestlé has just dropped Milo’s 4.5 Health Star Rating after receiving criticism from health experts for “tricking” consumers into thinking Milo is a healthy beverage.
According to SMH, the brand’s 4.5 star rating was initially based on the condition that people consume just three teaspoons of Milo with a glass of skim or low fat milk. For that, the public health experts and consumer group, Choice have previously suggested that Milo should receive a 1.5 star rating because the general public do not consume Milo “the healthy way”.
“Most people don’t consume Milo with skim milk alone,” said Choice’s head of campaigns and policy, Katinka Day.
“To claim a health star rating by adding nutritionally superior ingredients of another product is not helpful, especially for people who eat their Milo with full cream milk, or even straight out of the can or on ice-cream,” Ms Day said.
Many have claimed that it’s a marketing trickery rather than a genuine attempt to help consumers make an informed choice. Ms Day said the 4.5 rating should be replaced with a more accurate description of the product.
Source: YouTube
“While we welcome Nestlé’s decision to ditch its dishonest star rating, it doesn’t go far enough. Milo needs to display a 1.5 star rating which reflects the product’s actual ingredients,” she said.
Nestlé’s spokeswoman Margaret Stuart said that the brand will have the 1.5 star rating reflected but it only applies to the Milo powder and all other Milo-branded products will retain the 4.5 Health Star Rating.
“It’s encouraging to see a growing body of evidence showing that the HSR is delivering on its key objectives,”
“Crucially, it’s guiding shoppers who are comparing packaged foods within a category in store, and encouraging packaged food manufacturers to improve the nutritional content of their products, resulting in broader improvements across the food industry,” Ms Stuart said.
“The system, which was developed with the input of many stakeholders, is fundamentally sound, scientifically robust and compares well with front of pack labelling systems in other countries.”
So, guys, remember not to add extra sweetener (especially condensed milk) to your already sweet Milo to make it worse!
Also read: Here’s All You Need to Know About The Viral Milo Sugar Controversy
