“Vegetable shortages will become a more frequent occurrence unless we get serious about ensuring we have enough food to feed NZ.
“Like a dog howling at the moon HortNZ has been on about the need for NZ to have a food security policy and plan.
“Now is the time to develop and implement that food security policy and plan before it’s too late.”
While pre-covid-19 the proposal to develop such a plan gained no traction facts emerged when tens of thousands of Kiwis flocked to takeaways.
McDonald’s sold 300,000 burgers, double the number for the corresponding day last year.
“The key point is that McDonald’s didn’t have enough lettuce. McDonald’s ran out of lettuce.”
With it taking about 90 days in summer and about 150 days in winter for lettuce to grow from seed and get it delivered to McDonald’s and food retailers, growers need time to produce it.
While food outlets were closed growers had nowhere to sell produce so many decided not to replant.
Chapman said HortNZ has continually argued, unsuccessfully, for independent fruit and vegetable retailers to be open to give the growers somewhere to sell their produce.
“As a result, some may have already gone out of business or chosen to exit growing.”
Now there are places for them to sell their produce some planting might start again but moving into winter it will take some time for the supply chain to produce the lettuces for the likes of McDonalds.
A shortage of lettuces and other fresh produce will mean there is less fresh and healthy food to feed NZ, Chapman said.
“This shortage is just one example of why we, as a country, need a food security and supply policy.
“It takes a long time to grow the produce we need.”
NZ also needs need to plan for climate events.
“Many of our growing regions are still in severe drought.
“This situation is limiting production as a lack of water inhibits plant growth.”
Reliance is being put on growing areas not suffering from drought to provide fresh food.
“We also need to grow fresh and healthy food close to our main population centres.
“Turning productive land into houses and lifestyle blocks reduces land for growing food and limits the ability to spread growing out around the country to combat climatic and other events.”
NZ also needs reliable water.
“We need water storage projects urgently but that is another topic,” Chapman said.
