PORKER
Well-known member
Country of Origin Food Labelling 'Our Right to Know'(same in the US)
By Charlotte Cuthbertson
Epoch Times Wellington Staff Dec 10, 2007
39,000 SUPPORTERS: Petition pushes country of origin food labelling up on the agenda. Fresh and single-component foods are being targeted for mandatory labelling by Green MP and Safe Food spokesperson Sue Kedgley. (The Epoch Times)
Over 1.5 million tonnes of food is imported into New Zealand each year and Green MP and Safe Food spokesperson Sue Kedgley is determined to see it labelled.
Last week Ms Kedgley presented a 39,000-signature petition to Parliament calling for mandatory country of origin labelling on all fresh and single-component foods.
She said consumers have the right to know if their lettuce was grown in Korea, their pears or pork were grown in China, or their oranges and ginger are from Thailand.
The New Zealand government treats country of origin labelling as a trade and commerce matter, but Ms Kedgley says it is also a safety issue.
"We're importing food from countries which don't have quality and safety standards such as we have here in New Zealand. And from countries where they've had a succession of food scandals – including illegal pesticides found in foods, illegal antibiotics found in farmed fish, and so forth. So these are legitimate concerns."
A spokesman for Consumer Affairs Minister Judith Tizard said country of origin labelling was not a food safety issue and "telling someone where something was produced adds no value from a consumer protection aspect."
Australia, though, does see country of origin labelling as a food safety issue, he said, and have adopted mandatory labelling on fresh food.
Ms Tizard agrees that people have the right to know where their food is from, he said, but it should be up to the consumer to make change – to approach their retailer.
Ms Kedgley took two pork cases to the commerce commission this year. Kiwi Bacon who's label said 'Taste of New Zealand' and Premier Bacon who's label said 'Taste of the Wairarapa' were both made from imported pork.
Trade Agenda
The government says country of origin labelling conflicts with our "trade liberalisation agenda", Ms Kedgley said.
The free trade deal with China is "bound to be one of the reasons why they [government] don't want country of origin labelling. They're not saying so and I have asked that, but I am quite certain. One of the things the Chinese won't want is labels...that's probably part of the free trade deal we're working on."
Import figures sourced by Horticulture New Zealand from Statistics NZ show that in 2006 this country imported $50m of fresh and processed fruit and vegetable products from China.
This figure has doubled in three years, from just under $24 million in 2003, according to a HortNZ press release.
Last year New Zealand imported 535,000kgs of jam and marmalade from China – a 420 percent increase from 2003.
HortNZ CEO Peter Silcock said mandatory country of origin labelling is the only way to ensure the consumer gets to make the right choice for them.
"Whether their purchase decision is based on product origin, the price, safety concerns, nutrition needs, or just plain old flavour preference!"
He believes consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the characteristics and qualities of the food products they are putting on the table for their families.
"If consumers are concerned they should check labels - although they will find it difficult to make any sense of much of the labelling on processed products."
"On a jar of crushed garlic it says 'made from local and imported ingredients' when we know it is likely the garlic is from China. The information provided is practically useless and almost misleading," Mr Silcock said in a press release.
"Most people don't realise that about 96 percent of our shrimps and prawns are imported and ...forty percent of our pork is imported."
"Virtually all of this imported produce is fumigated with methyl bromide, so that's the first thing. Secondly, most of it, virtually none of it is tested to see whether it contains illegal pesticides or antibiotics."
NZ Growers Feeling Pinch
By constantly allowing the flood of cheap imports we are actually undercutting New Zealand growers, Ms Kedgley said.
"We are undercutting our own industry, just as we have done with manufacturing. We have undercut the garlic industry via cheap garlic imports and that's just about wiped out – it's on its knees."
It is a similar picture with tinned apricots, tomatoes, and apples, she said.
"If they say it's a commercial or trade matter – we actually have country of origin regulations in place which require that clothing and footwear is labelled so the question is if it's mandatory to put labelling on clothing and footwear, why shouldn't it be on food?"
"We are only, at this stage, requesting it on fresh produce because it is so simple and cheap to label."
Dairy and Meat Industry Against Labelling
Country of origin food labelling is being ignored because New Zealand's dairy and meat industry don't want labels on New Zealand exports, Ms Kedgley said.
"We're basically being held hostage by the dairy and meat industry in this respect."
Ms Kedgley said the dairy and meat industry don't want labelling on imported produce because that will mean exports will be under more pressure to also label.
"The meat and dairy board want to slip some of their product into countries offshore without necessarily labelling it – presumably if they exceed a quota or something like that."
"What it boils down to is that we are putting the trade interests of two industries ahead of all the interests of New Zealand consumers."
Ms Kedgley's petition will now go to Select Committee.
"I also have a country of origin labelling Private members bill, so I just intend to keep going until the government finally capitulates and agrees to have country of origin labelling."
By Charlotte Cuthbertson
Epoch Times Wellington Staff Dec 10, 2007
39,000 SUPPORTERS: Petition pushes country of origin food labelling up on the agenda. Fresh and single-component foods are being targeted for mandatory labelling by Green MP and Safe Food spokesperson Sue Kedgley. (The Epoch Times)
Over 1.5 million tonnes of food is imported into New Zealand each year and Green MP and Safe Food spokesperson Sue Kedgley is determined to see it labelled.
Last week Ms Kedgley presented a 39,000-signature petition to Parliament calling for mandatory country of origin labelling on all fresh and single-component foods.
She said consumers have the right to know if their lettuce was grown in Korea, their pears or pork were grown in China, or their oranges and ginger are from Thailand.
The New Zealand government treats country of origin labelling as a trade and commerce matter, but Ms Kedgley says it is also a safety issue.
"We're importing food from countries which don't have quality and safety standards such as we have here in New Zealand. And from countries where they've had a succession of food scandals – including illegal pesticides found in foods, illegal antibiotics found in farmed fish, and so forth. So these are legitimate concerns."
A spokesman for Consumer Affairs Minister Judith Tizard said country of origin labelling was not a food safety issue and "telling someone where something was produced adds no value from a consumer protection aspect."
Australia, though, does see country of origin labelling as a food safety issue, he said, and have adopted mandatory labelling on fresh food.
Ms Tizard agrees that people have the right to know where their food is from, he said, but it should be up to the consumer to make change – to approach their retailer.
Ms Kedgley took two pork cases to the commerce commission this year. Kiwi Bacon who's label said 'Taste of New Zealand' and Premier Bacon who's label said 'Taste of the Wairarapa' were both made from imported pork.
Trade Agenda
The government says country of origin labelling conflicts with our "trade liberalisation agenda", Ms Kedgley said.
The free trade deal with China is "bound to be one of the reasons why they [government] don't want country of origin labelling. They're not saying so and I have asked that, but I am quite certain. One of the things the Chinese won't want is labels...that's probably part of the free trade deal we're working on."
Import figures sourced by Horticulture New Zealand from Statistics NZ show that in 2006 this country imported $50m of fresh and processed fruit and vegetable products from China.
This figure has doubled in three years, from just under $24 million in 2003, according to a HortNZ press release.
Last year New Zealand imported 535,000kgs of jam and marmalade from China – a 420 percent increase from 2003.
HortNZ CEO Peter Silcock said mandatory country of origin labelling is the only way to ensure the consumer gets to make the right choice for them.
"Whether their purchase decision is based on product origin, the price, safety concerns, nutrition needs, or just plain old flavour preference!"
He believes consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the characteristics and qualities of the food products they are putting on the table for their families.
"If consumers are concerned they should check labels - although they will find it difficult to make any sense of much of the labelling on processed products."
"On a jar of crushed garlic it says 'made from local and imported ingredients' when we know it is likely the garlic is from China. The information provided is practically useless and almost misleading," Mr Silcock said in a press release.
"Most people don't realise that about 96 percent of our shrimps and prawns are imported and ...forty percent of our pork is imported."
"Virtually all of this imported produce is fumigated with methyl bromide, so that's the first thing. Secondly, most of it, virtually none of it is tested to see whether it contains illegal pesticides or antibiotics."
NZ Growers Feeling Pinch
By constantly allowing the flood of cheap imports we are actually undercutting New Zealand growers, Ms Kedgley said.
"We are undercutting our own industry, just as we have done with manufacturing. We have undercut the garlic industry via cheap garlic imports and that's just about wiped out – it's on its knees."
It is a similar picture with tinned apricots, tomatoes, and apples, she said.
"If they say it's a commercial or trade matter – we actually have country of origin regulations in place which require that clothing and footwear is labelled so the question is if it's mandatory to put labelling on clothing and footwear, why shouldn't it be on food?"
"We are only, at this stage, requesting it on fresh produce because it is so simple and cheap to label."
Dairy and Meat Industry Against Labelling
Country of origin food labelling is being ignored because New Zealand's dairy and meat industry don't want labels on New Zealand exports, Ms Kedgley said.
"We're basically being held hostage by the dairy and meat industry in this respect."
Ms Kedgley said the dairy and meat industry don't want labelling on imported produce because that will mean exports will be under more pressure to also label.
"The meat and dairy board want to slip some of their product into countries offshore without necessarily labelling it – presumably if they exceed a quota or something like that."
"What it boils down to is that we are putting the trade interests of two industries ahead of all the interests of New Zealand consumers."
Ms Kedgley's petition will now go to Select Committee.
"I also have a country of origin labelling Private members bill, so I just intend to keep going until the government finally capitulates and agrees to have country of origin labelling."