Draft government regulations for cured pork, if confirmed, will mean that imported pig meat could be marinated or injected in NZ and then appear in supermarket chillers alongside NZ pork with no recognition it is produced overseas.
The provisions, which are part of the Consumers’ Right to Know (Country of Origin Labelling) Bill, will only require the imported pork to include the name and address of a New Zealand supplier. The Labour-led government has delayed progress on the provisions until after the election.
But independent research by UMR has found more than 80% of New Zealanders believe it is misleading if imported pork further processed in NZ is not labelled as imported.
“New Zealand is facing an increasing flood of imported pork products – all produced in countries using farming practices, which in many cases do not meet New Zealand’s high animal welfare or environmental standards,” NZ Pork chief executive David Baines said.
“But New Zealand consumers have spoken and the incoming Government needs to listen. Consumers want accurate information about the origin of certain foods so they can make informed purchase decisions. They rightly expect clear and unambiguous information about the origin of cured or further processed pork.
“The regulations as they are currently drafted hide the use of some key categories of imported pork from consumers and mislead Kiwis by their presentation within the fresh meat cabinet.
David Baines | October 07, 2020 from GlobalHQ on Vimeo.
“We’re calling on the incoming Government to include these products in the category of cured pork to ensure consumers are not confused.”
Approximately 62% of NZ’s pork consumption is imported, with around 85% of this imported pork further processed.
