mage, or was not included at all.  According to Damien Maganja, lead author of the study and PhD candidate at UNSW Medicine & Health and The George Institute of Global Health, the  lack of clear information presents an issue for customers, but isn’t technically against current food safety regulations.  Maganja told Inside Retail that while the Food Standards Code requires products to display information such as nutritional information, health star ratings, and ingredient lists on their on-shelf packaging, no stipulation exists to extend that to the online storefront.  And, with more people buying food online every day, it could be time for this to be updated.  “Product labelling can help people to make more informed decisions about what food they buy, whether that’s for specific needs like allergies, for other conditions, or even just related to their own health priorities,” Maganja said.  “But that information isn’t helpful if it isn’t available at the point of purchase. It’s not clear how current regulations cover the online space, and there has been no assessment of the extent to which information that is normally mandatory [in physical retail] is being provided online.” A Coles spokesperson told Inside Retail that the business is committed to providing information to help its customers make informed purchasing decisions. This includes  having relevant product information available online, and that recommends customers always read the label on products.  A Woolworths spokesperson added that Maganja’s study didn’t take into account its product images, which in “many cases” do display product information. “Online shopping has come a long way in recent years and we are continuing to look for ways to help make healthier choices easier for our customers, however they shop with us,” the Woolworths spokesperson said. So, what was found? The study ultimately found that only around half of the assessed product pages showcased allergen information and nutritional information, and just over a third showcased the product’s full ingredient list.  Health Star Ratings were infrequently displayed, though the study found that they were more likely to be displayed if the product in question had achieved a higher rating.  To Maganja, this raised questions around whether the information being put forward was being done so to inform the consumer, or  to market certain products as healthy, while not informing customers of the items  that aren’t. Comparatively, products’ country-of-origin labelling appeared on 93 per cent of product pages. The difference, Maganja noted, is that this piece of information is covered by Consumer Law, rather than Food Standards, which has been updated to require its inclusion online. The issue also could stem from the vast number of products each supermarket chain stocks, Maganja noted, as well as a lack of clarity on whether it is the supermarket chain’s responsibility to define this information, or the supplier’s.  The end result, however, is the same.  “I think people should be able to know what is in something before they buy it,” he said.  “What we’re concerned about at The George Institute is protection against harmful products: not just in terms of allergies and acute reactions, but also in terms of things like heart disease, diabetes, cancers, kidney disease and obesity.”