Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:608;Page:5558] 
11.  
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Consumer Affairs 
: Does she support mandatory country of origin labelling for food so that consumers can find out where the food they eat comes from; if not why not? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD (Minister of Consumer Affairs) 
: 
 New Zealand consumers have a right to safe food and to know what is in the food we eat and not to be misled or deceived by information on the labels. The Government’s policy is that country of origin labelling for food should not be mandatory because the information is not always meaningful particularly for processed foods and it adds cost to the processes. However I am always willing to receive submissions on the matter. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Does the Minister agree that the absence of any labels on imported fresh produce like lamb mutton beef and fish—the vast amounts of it that are on sale in our supermarkets—could mislead or deceive consumers into thinking they were eating New Zealand products and not imported produce; and will she therefore use her powers under the Fair Trading Act to develop regulations that require country of origin labelling for food similar to those that already exist for footwear and clothing? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: I think it is true that consumers could be misled if this is a matter that is of concern to them. However our concern is that any imported food including meat is safe for consumers. The Government has rules prohibiting beef and beef-product imports from countries unless they are categorised by New Zealand and meet specified requirements in relation to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. For other issues all imported meat must be safe. However if consumers want to inquire they should do so. 
David Cunliffe 
: What protections do consumers have against misleading claims regarding the origin of food? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: The Commerce Commission has put out a ruling that no labelling of any product can be false or misleading. The rules are quite strict about that so any consumer who has a complaint about labels should refer it to the commission and also complain to the retailer and manufacturer. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Can the Minister confirm that the Fair Trading Act she is referring to applies only to products that are labelled and not to unlabelled fresh produce; and can she further explain why the Government supports mandatory country of origin labelling for footwear and clothing but not for food—that is does she think it is fair that consumers can find out where their jandals and T-shirts come from but not their meat and vegetables? 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD 
: The problem with labelling is that we have international agreements about giving imported goods the same deal we give local goods. I believe that country of origin labelling is often used to discriminate against imported goods. I personally think that consumers should have as much information as possible but that information has to be meaningful. The problem with many food items is that they have many ingredients and I do not think that the Australian rules which are mandatory are meaningful when all that manufacturers have to put on processed goods is that they contain imported ingredients. I think country of origin labelling is a good idea but it is very difficult to implement and we have chosen to make it voluntary not mandatory.