Fast food sold in Australia is just as unhealthy as it ever was, despite the introduction of mandatory menu labelling, according to new analysis.

A study by Cancer Council New South Wales and the George Institute for Global Health found the kilojoule content of foods sold at the top five food chains – Hungry Jack’s, KFC, McDonald’s, Oporto and Red Rooster – has not changed since 2009.

Researchers tracked the kilojoule content per serving and per 100 grams of menu items sold at the chains in March and April every year for seven years, from 2009 to 2015.



“We found that overall there was no significant or systematic reduction in kilojoule content since the introduction of menu labelling in NSW,” said Clare Hughes, nutrition program manager at Cancer Council NSW.

“There were some fluctuations in kilojoule content of individual items but when we assessed product categories, when we assessed particular chains, it was really clear that there was no systematic change.”

Menu labelling was introduced in NSW in 2012 and has been adopted in four other states and territories in response to rising obesity rates. It means that any fast-food restaurant with 20 or more stores across the state or 50 or more nationally has to show kilojoule information on menus and displays.

Yet evidence shows labelling helps customers make healthier choices. A Cochrane Library review of menu labelling in restaurants and coffee shops found it reduced calorie consumption by about 8% to 12% a meal.

Despite this and in light of the Cancer Council research, public health experts want the government to work with the fast food industry to reformulate the high-sugar and high-fat food they produce.

Hughes said reformulation had the potential to significantly improve consumers’ energy intake and it was time for the industry, with pressure from governments, to make meaningful changes.

“The foods that we eat away from home at some of these outlets can make a significant impact on a person’s nutrition intake across the week, across the month and across the year, which really has an impact on our health,” she said.

The study in published in journal Public Health Nutrition.