Consumer Issues Sector

The Briefing to the incoming Minister of Consumer Affairs reveals that New Zealand needs a far more robust regime to ensure the safety of imported products and to protect New Zealanders from products that pose a serious risk to consumer safety, the Green Party says.

The Australian and New Zealand Green parties announced today they will work together to revamp food labelling laws in New Zealand and Australia over the next three years, by seeking to introduce parallel legislation in both countries, and other initiatives.

A quiz of 100 Wellingtonians in Manners Mall today highlights the urgent need for mandatory country of origin labelling of our food, Green Party Health Spokesperson Sue Kedgley says.

“Not one person out of 100 people was able to correctly guess where the eight foods in our quiz come from,” Ms Kedgley says.

A Green Party snapshot grocery shopper survey has found that many New Zealanders are increasingly unable to afford healthy food and are purchasing cheaper less healthy alternatives in order to feed their families.

The Green Party is calling on food safety authorities to take a precautionary approach and test fruit and vegetables imported from China, following reported possible finds of melamine contamination in other countries.

The Green Party is urging New Zealand manufacturers to follow the lead of the makers of Anathoth jams and introduce detailed, accurate country of origin labelling on their products.