Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Kedgley Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:607;Page:4284] 
8.  
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
 to the  
Minister for Food Safety 
: Why did New Zealand accept a variation to the Australian New Zealand Food Standard code that will allow irradiated mango papaya mangosteen litchi breadfruit carambola custard apple and rambutan to be imported into New Zealand? [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I warn members that my patience has ended and there will be no interjections during question time when a member is asking a question. In our society members are perfectly entitled to ask a question and to be heard. 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister for Food Safety) 
: 
 The decision was made for phytosanitary purposes. Food safety was the prime factor in the assessment process. The process was very thorough and included a Food Standards Australia New Zealand project team a reference group of stakeholders and access to experts in the area of food irradiation. It was a lengthy process over a number of years. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Did the lengthy and considered process take into account the recent French-German research that found that chemicals formed during irradiation of certain foods including tropical fruit like mango may cause colon cancer and DNA damage; if not why not? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: It looked at a variety of research particularly by the World Health Organization which said that irradiation was an acceptable means to improve food safety. 
Dave Hereora 
: How are decisions such as the decision to support the irradiation standard reached? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: When the Government accepts a standard it takes account of robust science-based advice when making those decisions. 
Shane Ardern 
: Does the Minister think that banning all exports and imports into New Zealand banning any contact with the World Trade Organization and stopping all other major transactions either domestically or internationally as is promoted by the Green Party would improve food safety in New Zealand? 
Sue Kedgley 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The member has made an incorrect statement suggesting that I am calling for the banning of all exports and imports into New Zealand and suchlike which I have never done. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member’s word will be accepted. The rest of the question can be answered. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I do not think there is a question if that is taken away. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Why is the Government trying to change the international standard on food irradiation at a Codex meeting in Tanzania today to try to remove any limits on the dose of irradiation that may be applied to food so that food producers will be able to irradiate food such as tropical fruit as much as they like with no questions asked? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The New Zealand position on the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants is to support a proposal to replace a maximum dose currently at 10 kilogreys with permission to use a minimum dose to be able to achieve microbial decontamination. For example for tropical fruit it will be 1 kilogrey—not endless but 1 kilogrey—but for herbs and spices the use is 30 kilogreys and that dose would be sufficient for the treatment but it would be less than anything that could affect wholesomeness and quality. Along with Codex we are asking to enable the right level to be used. Of course if we do not use irradiation I presume the member continues to support the use of ethylene oxide and methyl bromide both of which have very bad effects not only on the environment but also on the health of the people who eat the food that have been treated by such chemicals. 
Shane Ardern 
: Does the Minister think that if we were to consume nothing but New Zealand grown organic food we would improve food safety in New Zealand? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I would suspect that if we had to rely on New Zealand organic-grown food we would probably starve. There would not be enough of it.