It's a given that muffins and iced chocolates aren't healthy, and as such, should be consumed as an occasional treat. But if a 0.5 health star rating was slapped on it, would you think twice?
Researchers from the George Institute of Global Health and Cancer Council NSW applied the health star rating system – seen on packaged foods in supermarkets – to 1530 menu items at 13 fast food chains and found Gloria Jean's had the lowest average health star rating of two stars, followed closely by McCafe and Muffin Break.
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They found 41 per cent of Gloria Jean's products and 30 per cent of items at Muffin Break – home of the coconut slice that contains half the recommended daily energy intake – scored fewer than 1.5 stars.
The George Institute's Dr Elizabeth Dunford called on the government to extend the ratings scheme to fast food restaurants so that consumers can compare and opt for healthier choices. Such a move would prompt the companies to reformulate products for the better.
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She said kilojoule labelling schemes weren't enough to help combat Australia's obesity epidemic.
"Exactly as for packaged foods, what we found is that even in the worst-performing chains, there are healthier alternatives, and health star ratings would make them identifiable at a glance if it was required on the menu board," she said.
"Consumers aren't stupid, they know cakes aren't healthy, but having a half star staring down at them might help hammer the point home."
Subway and Oporto nabbed the highest average rating of 3.4 stars. But Subway outperformed the Portuguese-style chicken chain as it had a greater percentage of products (83 per cent) scoring more than 3.5 health stars.
"Both these chains have menus dominated by sandwiches or burgers with grilled ingredients," the authors wrote.
"On the other hand, the cafe-style chains Gloria Jean's, Muffin Break and McCafe had the highest proportion of products receiving a low health star rating, due to pastry and cake dominated menus high in saturated fat and sugar," they said.
They pushed for a "single standardised signposting system for healthiness across all fresh, packaged and restaurant foods."
However, the star rating system has been widely criticised. Food companies claim the algorithm needs more work, while in turn, consumer groups accuse them of "gaming" the system to confuse and mislead time-poor shoppers.
The George Institute's Professor Bruce Neal, a co-author, acknowledged the deficiencies but said, overall, "it's actually a pretty good system" that "gets it right most of the time".
"The fast food industry has one of the best-funded and least regulated advertising programs in the world," he said.
"We now have a way to combat the junk end of the fast food market, and we need to leap on the opportunity."
The study, published in Appetite, found 42 per cent of all products assigned 0.5 star ratings came from Muffin Break alone – including its affogato drink, Anzac biscuit and chocolate mousse cake.
Natalie Brennan, Muffin Break's general manager, said those three items accounted for less than 0.1 per cent of its sales and weren't widely sold across Australia.
"Our muffin range includes gluten free, low fat and lower carb options and our evolving savoury menu also includes freshly made sandwiches, salads and wraps," she said.
A Gloria Jean's spokeswoman said it "wholly embraced" the idea of displaying health stars on its menus.
"We believe in educating our customers and providing them with all the information required to inform purchasing decisions," she said.
A Federal health department spokesman said while an expansion isn't being considered, it "may be raised as part of the five year review".
"A collaborative piece of work is also underway between the Food Regulation Standing Committee and Australian Health Minister Advisory Council to review the effectiveness of the fast food menu labelling schemes which have been introduced and consider implementation and emerging issues," he said.
Cancer Council NSW's Wendy Watson said it supported calls for the ratings system to be expanded to fast food restaurants.
She said one in three cases of cancer were preventable and that being overweight or obese significantly increased one's risk of 11 different types of cancer.
The labelling system was introduced in 2014 for use on supermarket foods, rating them from 0.5 to five stars based on the kJ, saturated fat, sugar, sodium, protein, fibre and fruit and vegetable content.
The study looked at 13 companies: Coffee Club, Crust, Domino's, Gloria Jean's, Hungry Jack's, KFC, McCafe, McDonald's, Muffin Break, Oporto, Pizza Hut, Red Rooster and Subway.
McDonald's did not respond to Fairfax Media's request for comment.
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