G/TBT/N/NZL/84  
 
19 September 2018  
(18-5799) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member: NEW ZEALAND   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment  
PO Box 1473  
Wellington 6140  
NEW ZEALAND  
Email: consumer@mbie.govt.nz   
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Imported 
and domestically produced fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and seafood which are fresh or 
frozen and no more than minimally processed; and  cured pork sold in New Zealand; Food 
products in general (ICS 67.040).  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Final report: 
Consumers' Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill (1 3 page(s), in English)   
6. Description of content: The Consumers' Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill 
will provide for regulations to be made prescribing requirements for the disclosure of a 
regulated food's country or place of origin.  
If the Consumers' Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill passes and regulations are 
drafted, the content of the regulations will also be notified at that stage to the Committee 
on Technical Barriers to Trade.  
The regulated foods must include food that:  
1. is either  
1. only 1 type of fruit, vegetable, meat, fish or seafood that  
1. is fresh (even if previously frozen) or frozen and is not, for 
example, dried, cured, or pickled; and  
2. is no more than minimally processed (for example, by being cut, 
minced, filleted, or surface treated); or  
2. cured pork; and  
2. is supplied, offered or advertised for supply, at retail, including on an Internet site; 
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  3. is not supplied, or offered or advertised for supply  
1. by any of the following for immediate consumption: a restaurant, cafeteri a, 
takeaway shop, canteen or similar place, or a caterer; or  
2. at a fundraising event; and  
4. is packaged or unpackaged.  
Foods will need to be labelled with the country or place where they were grown. This would 
be, for example, where the food was harvested, caught or raised, but not where the food 
was merely packaged, manufactured or processed.  
The regulations will be able to exempt certain foods from the scope of foods covered, 
where it would be unduly onerous for those foods to comply or it would not help 
consumers to make informed decisions about purchasing the food.  
Detail such as the definitions of foods, what it means for a food to be 'minimally 
processed', and requirements for how disclosure can be made (e.g. through labels or 
signage) will be set out i n the regulations which will be made after the Bill is passed.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable: Consumer information, labelling; Prevention of deceptive practices and 
consumer protection; The purpose is  to provide a mandatory labelling system that provides 
consumers with accurate information about the country of origin of regulated foods to 
enable them to make informed food purchasing decisions.  
8. Relevant documents:   
• Consumers' Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill   
9. Proposed date of adoption: The proposed date of adoption of the Act is not yet known.  
The regulations to prescribe a consumer information standard for the disclosure of a 
regulated food’s cou ntry or place of origin will occur no later than 18 months after the 
commencement of the Act.  
Proposed date of entry into force: The consumer information standard will commence 6 
months after it is made, and will not apply to frozen food until 18 months af ter the 
standard commences.  
10. Final date for comments: 19 November 2018  
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [  ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:   
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/member/2016/0231/latest/DLM4311404.html  
https://www.parliament.nz/resource/en -
NZ/SCR_78757/7fee6d10913b18cf55f0982b57c9820a0d37b0b6