Hi Julie

Thanks very much for sending this through. I’ll certainly make the time to watch this clip – it looks very interesting, and it will be good the review the level and accuracy of the evidence he is presenting.

The Tick nutrition criteria take a ‘whole of food’ approach, and focus on those nutrients that can can have the biggest impact on health:

Encouraging food industry to reduce levels of saturated fat and trans fats

Encouraging food industry to reduce levels of sodium (salt) in foods

Encouraging food industry to increase the levels of beneficial nutrients fibre and calcium, in relevant food categories

Setting a limit on energy (kilojoules), to limit energy dense nutrients such as fat and sugar.

At the same time, it’s important to note that the Tick programme is geared towards the general healthy population, and people with specific health conditions should seek eating advice from a New Zealand registered dietitian.

The Tick nutrition criteria are regularly reviewed in terms of nutrition research, public health priorities, Heart Foundation nutrition policies, and nutrient levels of foods in the marketplace.

The Tick criteria are category specific, and Tick signposts healthier choices in food categories (compared with those not meeting the Tick criteria).

I am attaching our latest Tick Shopping Guide, which explains a little more about the Tick nutrition criteria. The criteria are trans Tasman, and we have a dedicated group of nutrition experts and academics who meet regularly to review the Tick nutrition criteria.

Thanks again for taking the time to send this information to us. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions on the Tick programme.

Kind regards

Rhodi