The Heart Foundation Tick

Choosing the right foods for our family can feel overwhelming at times – there’s so much choice and an overload of conflicting health advice out there.

For a guarantee you’re buying healthier options, look for foods which have the Heart Foundation Tick.

What is the Tick?

The Heart Foundation developed the Tick as a quick and easy guide to help Australian mums quickly identify healthier foods. You don’t have to compare labels or study ingredients – simply look for the distinctive Heart Foundation Tick.

Before you ask: more than 1,300 foods in the supermarket have the Tick, so it’s pretty likely you can find a healthier alternative to the foods you eat everyday. They’re healthier because Tick foods are lower in saturated fats, salt and kilojoules, and have to contain plenty of the good stuff, like fibre and calcium.

For example, to earn the Tick, ready meals must have at least one serve of vegetables or the equivalent in fibre, be low in salt, saturated fat and pretty much free of trans fats. Portion size is also important.

Reducing the amount of bad fat (saturated and trans fat) in the food our families eat is an important step in keeping them healthy and teaching lifelong smart habits. There’s more about good and bad fats here.

Why you can trust the Tick

Every food product that has earned the Tick must meet strict nutritional standards. They also have to pass regular, random tests to ensure they’re maintaining their healthy standards – no exceptions. Independent experts conduct all testing for Tick, so you’re in safe hands.

You’ll find the Tick when you’re eating out too – learn more here.

The Tick program is part of the Heart Foundation, but it doesn’t run on public donations. Instead, Tick generates its own funds by charging the companies who meet the nutrition standards and wish to participate in the scheme a fee.

Read more about Tick here.
Download the Tick shopping list here.

For more information on what to look out for on food labels when shopping, click here.