In its recommendation to Parliament to pass the Bill the committee made special mention of cured pork products, which “naturally is exciting for commercial pig farmers in this country”, he said.
It said “We have decided to specifically incorporate cured pork products within the definition of this Bill to provide certainty to consumers that these products would be approved under the tests in this Bill.”
That was music to pig farmers ears, Roy said.
Public interest in the Bill was strong as consumers and politicians expressed concern products like bacon and ham, more than 80% of them imported, were not included in the committee’s interim report released in July.
Greens MP and Bill sponsor Gareth Hughes was particularly vocal in his support for the pork industry’s position on including cured meats.
“As we’ve slowly ratcheted up our animal welfare standards in the pork industry their sales have declined and we’re seeing a massive increase in imports of really low-quality animal welfare pork,” Hughes said.
“That’s a double whammy for them.”
Based on the momentum the Bill appears to be gathering, NZ Pork is confident a more comprehensive country of origin labelling food standard is a strong likelihood in the near future.
“This will mean consumers are able to make an informed choice about the food they choose to buy for their families, which is likely to have real benefits for the industry,” Roy said.
According to NZ Pork’s consumer research Kiwis want to buy pork born and raised in NZ but often find labels confusing.
While the Bill still needs the support of Parliament and a new consumer standard will take time to develop and implement, the industry is already paying close attention to how pork products are being labelled.
NZ Pork is also working closely with the supply chain to ensure packaging is not incorrect or potentially misleading.
Although country of origin labelling is not yet mandatory the Fair Trading Act does require any claims made about the origin of a product not be misleading or deceptive.
In July the Commerce Commission released a fact sheet highlighting the rules around labelling.
While it was not possible to set out a precise formula prescribing exactly what products can be called NZ-made, for a food item the consideration should be where the essential character of the food is created.
The commission’s test of that is not based on a technical description, cost analysis or tariff definition but whether such a claim is likely to mislead consumers, Roy said.
One of the examples given by the commission in the July fact sheet was for ham and bacon.
It highlighted incidents where local companies were given formal warnings by the commission for misleading labels on pork.
According to a summary of the cases the traders had implied by statements on the labels their ham and bacon were produced in NZ.
However, a significant amount of the pork used in the products was imported, making the claims likely to mislead consumers.
Roy said thanks to the vigilance of both farmers and consumers, NZ Pork has identified some products labelled in a similar way.
In the first instance the organisation took that up directly with the retailer and asked that the labels be corrected or the product removed.
If the situation continues it is also clear the industry can seek help from the commission, he said.
“Overall, the NZ supply chain has been quick to recognise the significant benefits of supporting the local industry as a way to create a point of difference, build consumer loyalty and reflect the demand for quality, freshness and farming practices underpinned by the Born and Raised in NZ PigCare trustmark.
To ensure current and future consumer trading standards are met, NZ Pork will be working closely with the supply chain and developing a range of review processes to ensure country of origin labels and claims are correct.
