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 Seeing red over food colours
(25 Jul 10) Food authorities are investigating whether they should ban artificial food colours from breakfast cereals and confectionery items following a study that suggests they may pose a cancer risk, as well as causing hyperactivity in children and allergies.
The new research, conducted by The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in the US, called Food
Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks, claims some synthetic chemicals do not improve the nutrition of foods, but can bring about behavioural problems in children and even be carcinogenic to all.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand is looking into the findings.
Spokeswoman Lydia Buchtman said if there was any clear evidence of a link to cancer and other health issues, bans could be imposed. But she said peer reviewed scientific research had previously deemed colours were at such low levels in foods in New Zealand they were safe.
Buchtman said there were no specific food products listed in the new US report. Her authority has previously investigated 16 colours found in Kiwi foods and deemed them to be at safe levels.
They included foods from breakfast cereals, pastry, savoury snack foods, icecream, confectionery, cakes, muffins, to biscuits, toppings and savoury sauces.
In drinks, colours could be found in some pre-mixed alcoholic drinks, flavoured milks, cordials, soft and fruit drinks.
Buchtman said previous research claiming some foods caused hyperactivity was "weak".
Food and Grocery Council chief executive Katherine Rich said the US report was "sensationalist".
More at Herald
on Sunday.
 Food
Bill first reading: “They’re Drinking Our Beer…um…Not Here”
(22 Jul 10) The Food and Grocery Council (FGC) welcomes the First Reading of the Food Bill in Parliament today, and congratulates the Minister, Hon Kate Wilkinson, and officials for the years of detailed work to get the Bill this far, says Chief Executive, Katherine
Rich.
“We are supportive of the Bill and its intentions, but wish to flag one area of concern, which could be a real “curve ball” for food and grocery companies that export.”
Mrs Rich says that the Bill specifies that all food produced in New Zealand must comply with all New Zealand regulations, even if the products have been produced solely for export, and irrespective of the regulations in the receiving export market.
“While FGC understands the importance of New Zealand protecting its excellent reputation as a safe and high quality food source, there needs to be better recognition that in some circumstances complying with all New Zealand laws will mean our members’ products will not comply with the rules of current export markets.”
“We have members currently with multi-million dollar markets earning significant export revenue for New Zealand. In certain circumstances they would have their goods rejected by some export markets and authorities for non-compliance if their goods are forced to comply with all of New Zealand’s rules.”
Mrs Rich says that beer is an excellent example. Beer produced exactly to the requirements of New Zealand labelling laws would not comply with the laws of the United Kingdom because of different labelling requirements and different country approaches to issues such as what constitutes a “standard drink”.
“It’s our members’ preference that the status quo prevail, and they continue to be allowed to produce food and beverage products that meet the requirements of their export markets.”
“We know it’s not the Government’s intention, but the current provisions in the Bill could potentially create a slow and cumbersome system requiring export companies to seek exemptions through the Minister or Governor General through Orders in Council each time a new market has a different approach to New Zealand.”
“New Zealand has an excellent approach to food safety, but we need to appreciate that not all countries dance to New Zealand’s tune. Our members want a practical regulatory system that continues to allow them to tailor their products to the requirements of their markets without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy.”
“Like NZFSA, our members take the issue of product safety and quality very seriously. We are confident that there is a practical solution that meets the needs of regulators and companies.
“We have been pleased with the response thus far from NZFSA, and will raise this issue again during the Select Committee process.” Mrs Rich said.
 Key
rules out GST-free food
(21 Jul 10) A bid to remove GST on healthy foods to lower costs has been slammed
by the Government.
Prime Minister John Key said the Government will not support Maori MP Rahui Katene's
bill, which defines healthy food as fruit and vegetables, breads and cereals,
milk and milk products - excluding ice cream, cream products, condensed and flavoured
milk - and lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes.
The Government would not support the removal of GST on particular items, he said.
"In our view, what makes the system work well is the simplicity and its low administration
costs. Once you start exempting one part, meat and vegetables, then why wouldn't
(you to) other parts of the food equation."
"We've compensated for GST through personal tax cuts, so we are not going to
move on and take GST off food."
The bill says food prices have risen more than 20 percent in the last three years
while real incomes have risen only very slightly.
"While all consumers will benefit from the removal of goods and services tax
from healthy food, those on lower incomes spend a greater proportion of their
income on food and will receive a significant benefit as a result."
Revenue Minister Peter Dunne said the bill would introduce 'healthy food' definitions
that would be difficult to categorise.
"For example, what does lean meat mean, as opposed to non-lean meat," Mr Dunne
said.
The bill is likely to go on Parliament's agenda for a first reading debate in
two weeks.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
Panel
to discuss scrapping GST on healthy foods
(13 Jul 10) A panel of experts will take part in an online seminar this morning
to assess whether New Zealand should scrap GST on healthy foods.
This follows a Green Party survey that suggests produce prices are being marked
up several hundred percent by the country's supermarkets, and the SHOP
study,
released in March and looking at the food purchasing habits of over 1,000 New
Zealanders,
found that dropping GST from healthy foods would encourage people to buy more
of them. The seminar, run by the Science
Media Centre, comes ahead of the first
reading of a Maori Party bill calling for GST-free healthy foods.
It will hear from a range of nutritional experts on the potential implications
for the country's public health if such a bill were to go through.
The bill's architect, Maori Party MP Rahui Katene said she hoped the experts'
views would help with the bill's first vote next week.
"We're keeping our fingers crossed it gets through the first reading. There is
a lot of support for it, not just from consumers, but from advocate groups."
Countries including Australia and Britain already have no GST equivalent on certain
healthy foods. The Maori Party defines healthy foods as including fruit and vegetables,
breads and cereals, milk products but not cream, lean meats and legumes. More
at NZ
Herald.
 Bogus “Food
miles” theory still a concern: FGC
(9 Jul 10) While research published by Otago University’s Department of Marketing confirms that country of origin was only a minor influence on what British supermarket shoppers actually bought in supermarkets, it’s still a concern that 21.5% of those interviewed at a later stage thought that “food miles” or “the long distance” food travels would stop them buying New Zealand products, says Food & Grocery Council (FGC) Chief Executive, Katherine
Rich.
“The bogus food miles theory could have caused major difficulties, but doesn’t seem to be affecting actual sales based on this research. However, the genuine worry is that continued food activism in Europe could still embed negative consumer perceptions about New Zealand sourced food which eventually translates into sales.”
“The research highlights the frequent gap between consumer preferences and actual purchasing decisions. The concern is if these vague perceptions that somehow goods from New Zealand are bad for the environment translate into action at the checkout, New Zealand food companies have a problem. The gap between thoughts and actions can close quickly as the palm oil and Bisphenol A issues demonstrate.”
Mrs Rich says that while the “food miles” concept has been shot to pieces, the 21.5% who indicated that food miles and distance from markets would stop them buying New Zealand products is still of deep concern. Perceptions take a lot of work to shift, therefore food companies should not be complacent when it comes to New Zealand’s messages about our food production.
“The importance of this research is to remind New Zealand food companies that the food miles theory is not dead and that they need be prepared for the next push seeking to lock out New Zealand products. The battleground in this instance isn’t trade negotiation, it’s in UK shoppers’ heads.”
We commend Professor Knight and his team at Otago University for conducting such thought-provoking and worthwhile research, said Mrs Rich.
 FGC:
Supermarket Code of Conduct worth exploring
(5 Jul 10)
The United Kingdom’s Grocery Supply Code of Practice, which sets out how supermarket retailers and suppliers conduct their business, could have application in New Zealand if the initiative proves to be a success, says New Zealand Food and Grocery Council (FGC) Chief Executive, Katherine Rich.
Mrs Rich says that the Code has been in place since February 2010 and will take time to settle in.
“We are interested to see whether such an initiative makes a positive difference before formally endorsing the concept for New Zealand as there are significant differences between the British and New Zealand markets.”
“While we have not read the detail of Sue Kedgley’s grower survey, her comments over the weekend that New Zealand might benefit from a UK-style Ombudsman and Grocery Code of Practice, are worth further investigation and consideration.”
Mrs Rich says that the fact that this idea has been raised by the Green Party is no reason for Ministers to dismiss the idea without consideration. In the United Kingdom the concept was backed by both the Tory and Labour Parties and has wide political support.
“However, there are some differences in our markets. On the whole retailer/supplier relationships in New Zealand are very good and far more positive than in the UK. This reflects our country’s small size, and the fact that long term business relationships are seen as being very important by senior leaders within the grocery sector.”
“We’d stress that the executive teams of both supermarkets work extremely hard to cultivate good supplier relations. However, there will always be individual cases where a clear Code might provide useful guidance.”
“If the Minister of Commerce or Minister of Consumers Affairs decided to champion such an initiative, the Ministry of Economic Development has experience in developing a number of other industry codes and shouldn’t find the task too burdensome.” Mrs Rich said.
 Tax
increase hurts wineries - survey
(2 Jul 10) Despite the government increasing excise on wine by 4 cents per bottle on July 1, consumers are unlikely to see any lift in wine prices according to New
Zealand Winegrowers.
Winegrowers recently surveyed wineries on whether they intended to pass the tax increase on to consumers and of wineries who responded 84% indicated they would be forced to absorb the excise increase.
‘Many wineries are already suffering financially and this latest tax increase will make the times that much tougher for them. The simple fact is the market will not accept price increases and wineries have no option but to absorb the tax rise’ said Winegrowers’ CEO Philip
Gregan.
The Survey also revealed that this is not the first time wineries have been forced into the position of absorbing annual tax rises. Of the more than 170 wineries who responded to the Survey, 80% indicated they had not increased prices in the past three years. In fact 48% of wineries said they had not increased prices for at least five years or had never lifted prices, despite excise rising 11.6% since 1 June 2006.
Additionally, and without prompting, 32% of wineries indicated they had in fact lowered prices in recent years despite annual excise increases.
‘This Survey highlights the serious financial pain annual excise increases are causing our small and medium wineries because excise is a production and not a consumption tax. It also makes abundantly clear that those who want higher rates of excise as part of the Sale of Liquor reform will only succeed in putting wineries out of business. That would be bad news for tourism, bad news for the hospitality sector and bad news for the economy.’
 Drinks
taxes escalate
(30 Jun 10) Drinkers will have to find more money for their favourite beverages tomorrow (1 July 2010) as the Government increases all alcohol excise taxes by 2.1 per cent.
For spirits drinkers the tax rate will be lifted to $53.317 per litre of alcohol from $52.20. This means that the excise component on a one litre standard bottle of spirits will be a massive $19.72.
As at today’s pricing, more than 70 per cent of the retail price of a typical bottle of spirits goes directly to the Government as taxation.
Thomas Chin, Chief Executive of the Distilled Spirits Association, says spirits drinkers are paying a far higher rate of tax than consumers of other beverages.
“The Government has demonstrated an inclination to remove distortions in other areas of taxation and it could continue this welcome trend by addressing the anomalies of excise that currently tax spirits drinkers at nearly twice the rate applied to wines and most beers.”
“This latest increase in excise tax comes at a time when there is reluctance by consumers to spend creating very difficult trading conditions for the beverage industry. Tax increases do not lift growth prospects, create jobs or raise incomes.”
Mr Chin says higher alcohol excise taxes cannot be justified as a means to stop abusive drinking, as the policy of increasing prices intends, but they do put up prices and penalise moderate and law abiding consumers.
The pressure on consumers’ purses and wallets will further increase on 1 October 2010 when GST adds another 2.5 per cent to prices, taking the total GST content to 15 per cent.
 Palm
Oil labelling won’t inform shoppers or save wildlife
(21 Jun 10) The Food and Grocery Council is concerned that calls for mandatory labelling of palm oil might mislead consumers by implying that the world’s most sustainable vegetable oil crop is a toxic ingredient best avoided, says Chief Executive, Katherine
Rich.
“The opposite is true. When grown on appropriate farming land, palm oil is the most environmentally sustainable, cost effective and versatile vegetable oil available in the world today.”
“Palm oil has the highest yield of any oil seed crop. More oil is produced with less land than any other substitute. Other vegetable oils can require up to 10 times the land to produce the same amount of oil.”
“Food labelling is increasingly being used as an easy battleground for issues as diverse as deforestation, animal welfare, obesity and human rights. As a country we need to be realistic about what can and can’t be solved by a product label.” said Mrs Rich.
Mrs Rich says that FGC supports FSANZ and NZFSA’s stance that labelling should be used for issues relating to health and safety. From a health perspective, it’s more important for consumers to know how much saturated fat is contained in a product rather than what that fat might be.
“FGC doesn’t support mandatory labelling of specific vegetable oils. It’s an issue of practicality. Palm oil is just one of over 70 vegetable oils used in food production for a variety of reasons. Before regulators make detailed listing compulsory there has to be a good health or safety reason for doing so.”
Mrs Rich says that calls for palm oil labels haven’t been thought through. Labels will only indicate whether palm oil is used, but will say nothing about where the oil was sourced or whether sustainable production practices were employed.
“The palm oil may be sustainably produced or come from one of over 40 different countries many of which will not face the same environmental concerns. A label which says “contains palm oil” leaves the interested shopper none the wiser.”
 Companies
coy over palm oil use
(21 Jun 10) Some New Zealand food companies are being slippery about whether they use palm oil, according to a Green Party survey.
Green Party MP Sue Kedgley wrote to 20 of New Zealand's largest
food companies, asking them for a list of products they manufactured that contained
palm oil.
Watties said it did not use palm oil in any products and Delmaines said it used
palm oil only in its Kisses product.
Six other companies confirmed using palm oil, but refused to give further information.
A further 12 companies did not respond to Ms Kedgley's query and follow up request
for information.
Ms Kedgley said the refusal of manufacturers to disclose what food products contained
palm oil was extraordinary, since this was one of the reasons Food Standards
Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) had given for refusing to require palm oil to be
labelled.
"FSANZ said in its decision not to require palm oil labelling that if consumers wished to avoid the consumption of palm oil they could contact food manufacturers for the information. Well, we have contacted food manufacturers, and nearly all have refused to disclose this information."
Conservation advocates say palm oil's production is responsible for intensive
deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia, leading to the slaughter of around 50
endangered orangutans a week and making Indonesia the world's third highest man-made
carbon emitter, according to Greenpeace.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Traffic lights given "no-go" by European
Union
(21 Jun 10) The New Zealand Food and Grocery Council (FGC) welcomes the landmark decision by the European Parliament to reject “traffic light” food labels and adopt a front-of-pack food labelling system similar to that used by the New Zealand and Australian food industries, says Chief Executive, Katherine
Rich.
“This common sense decision is of particular relevance to New Zealand, given the ongoing debate about labelling systems and the current Australia/New
Zealand Review of Food Labelling Policy and Law being lead by Dr Neal Blewett.”
“We hope that such a strong message from the European Parliament on this issue will be taken into account within the current review.”
“The fact that the traffic light scheme was voted down by a whopping 559 votes to 54 recognises how flawed and discredited the traffic light approach to food labelling is.”
Mrs Rich says that under the European decision, companies will now use Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) to label the energy, sugar, salt and fat content on the front of food packages, as well as protein, unsaturated fats and fibre.
This model is similar to the % Daily Intake method of labelling used by many members of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council. The labelling system lists the amount of energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt in a recommended serve of the food, and what this represents as a proportion of an average daily intake.
The Food and Grocery Council has consistently opposed “traffic light” labelling of food, says Mrs Rich.
“It’s too simplistic and could have negative unintended consequences. The problem is that for many New Zealanders a red light means stop. Products like cheese, milk, honey and breakfast spreads like Marmite are all part of a healthy, balanced diet, but would attract a "red light" and be considered “bad” foods best avoided all together. This will not lead to good health outcomes”.
“Traffic light” labelling is not the silver bullet solution to New Zealand’s obesity problem that supporters would have consumers believe. There are no good or bad foods, just good or bad diets.” Mrs Rich said.
 Food
group welcomes review of consumer law
(15 Jun 10)
The Food and Grocery Council has welcomed the release of a discussion
document on plans to review and rationalise consumer law.
Consumer Affairs Minister Heather Roy said yesterday the discussion
document focused on a "one law one door" policy.
"One law refers to the goal of principles-based consumer-supplier legislation,
while one door aims to provide a single portal consumers can use to seek advice
and assistance when consumer transactions go awry," Mrs Roy said.
The document also addresses the government's goal to achieve a single economic
market wherever possible with Australia, which is also undergoing a major consumer
law review
that is being closely monitored here.
Food and Grocery Council chief executive Katherine Rich said
the review was significant
and provided "a genuine opportunity to streamline existing consumer-related laws,
some of which are over 80 years old."
Mrs Rich said some of the laws were particularly important to the grocery sector
and were crucial to a well functioning market.
The Direct Selling Association (DSA) said it was pleased a review was under way.
"The need for change has been evident for many years and we believe that by incorporating
many of the highly prescriptive legislations into a more principled basis of
legislation, this should be both a simplification and an empowerment of consumer
rights through both self enforcement and the ability of the Commerce Commission
to enforce rogue marketers," said DSA executive director Garth Wyllie.
Submissions on the discussion document are due by the end of July and oral submissions
will be heard in August.
More at National Business Review.
 Food
labelling too complicated
(6 Jun 10) Nutrition labels on food packets are a waste of time because most of us are not clever enough to understand the maths or too pressured for time to take it all in, a new study shows.
And current labelling does nothing to counter the obesity epidemic, say the researchers, from Massey and Otago universities.
Janet Hoek, of Otago University's department of marketing, says the findings should worry health advocates who consistently emphasise individual responsibility.
Food labelling varied greatly and simply confused consumers. The figures on the recommended percentage of daily intake required "a level of attention that was incompatible with consumers' normal shopping behaviour" and required mathematical skills most shoppers did not possess. Harassed parents especially wanted to be in and out of shops quickly.
"We suggest policy makers who wish to reduce obesity should ensure that nutrition labels suit consumer needs rather than manufacturers' objectives and recommend they place a priority on public health considerations when evaluating front-of-package labelling options."
The research also found that shoppers needed more education so they could compare similar products and understand - for example, labelling that described a product as low in fat but high in sugar.
Standardising front-of-package information could have an important public health benefit, the researchers say.
Despite a move to "traffic light" labelling (red for unhealthy, orange not very
healthy and green for healthy), food manufacturers said the system is too simple,
and some research participants agreed.
More at Sunday
Star Times.
 Energy
Shots: NZFSA assesses caffeine risks and industry launches Code
(3 June 10) Both the New Zealand Food Safety Authority and the New Zealand
Juice & Beverage Association have acted this week to send the message that
energy drinks and energy shots containing caffeine are not for children and young
teenagers. The NZFSA is confirming its advice to parents and caregivers, following
completion of a risk profile on caffeine. “The report has not found anything
we didn’t already know: children and teenagers get caffeine from tea, kola drinks
and coffee, and if they consume too much they could have effects like dizziness,
rapid heartbeat, irritability, anxiety, tremors
and insomnia,” public health principal advisor Donald
Campbell says. “These products are labelled with their caffeine content,
and just as you wouldn’t
hand a child a double long black, you shouldn’t give them energy shots,” Dr Campbell
says. A single shot espresso coffee has around 80 mg of caffeine and a cafe latte
99 mg. Energy shots can have twice this level or more. A cup of tea has about
55 mg. A 50g milk chocolate bar has about 10mg.
NZFSA’s risk profile indicates that the temporary adverse effects can occur in
some people when they consume about 3 mg of caffeine per kilogramme of body weight
a day, which most adults would exceed if they had two single shot lattes or four
cups of tea. There is no evidence of long-term harm in the general healthy adult
population from caffeine consumption up to 400 mg per day. Ministry of Health
healthy eating guidelines say that children should avoid energy drinks and limit
intake of kola type soft drinks, and that teenagers have them only once in a
while. Pregnant women should limit their caffeine intake and avoid energy drinks
and energy shots. People who are sensitive to caffeine should also avoid energy
drinks and energy shots.
Energy drinks sold under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code must
carry an advisory statement that the product contains caffeine and is not recommended
for children, lactating women or individuals sensitive to caffeine. The level
of caffeine must also be stated on the label. Energy shots sold under the New
Zealand Food (Supplemented Food) Standard 2010 must carry the same information.
 The New
Zealand Juice and Beverage Association has developed
an Industry
Code
for the Manufacturing and Marketing of Energy Shots, launched this week: click
here. All members of the New Zealand Juice and Beverage Association (NZJBA)
together with members of its sister organisation, the Australian Beverages Council
(Beverages Council), that manufacture or distribute energy shot products, have
made a voluntary undertaking to commit to a range of best practice standards
over and above legislative requirements. “NZFSA supports the New Zealand Juice
and Beverage
Association’s
Code of Practice
to minimise marketing of these products to children,” Dr Campbell says. He adds
that it is difficult to determine what the levels of consumption of energy drinks
and energy shots are in New Zealand. “We had to make some conservative assumptions
because many of these caffeine drinks are relatively new on the market and the
market is constantly changing.” NZFSA assistant director of international policy Trish
Ranstead says that the risk profile has been shared with trans-Tasman
food standards-setter Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). The risk
profile can be downloaded from the NZFSA website: www.nzfsa.govt.nz/science/risk-profiles/
 Industry
backs new advertising code for kids' foods
(20 May 10) The launch of the new Children's
Code for Advertising Food by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is
another example of industry working with the public and health bodies to help
address childhood obesity, says the FIG (the Food Industry Group).
The new code further increases the level of responsibility food manufacturers,
marketers and media
have accepted in order to help parents in their role of educating children about
balanced eating.
FIG Chairman, Jeremy Irwin, says that once again industry has
been proactive, responded to concerns and made it clear that members are committed
to doing the right thing.
“While global and local research shows advertising has around a 2% influence
on children’s eating habits, our industry knows we have to help parents, by being
vigilant about the messages in advertising. The food industry is doing its part,” he
said. Along with public and health organisations, FIG members have been actively
involved in developing the new code.
Irwin noted that the code is the latest of several projects and research proving
the positive influence advertising and television can have on addressing the
obesity issue.
One current initiative is the Eat Wise and Exercise campaign
(www.eatwise-exercise.co.nz)
by Foodstuffs supermarkets, which has used television and other marketing mediums
to reach around 75% of household shoppers who have children.
“Food manufacturers, retailers, marketers, ad agencies and media continue to
work together to look at new ways to encourage balanced lifestyles and healthy
eating,” he said.
Recent research has shown that television programming, including shows such as The
Biggest Loser, has a measurable impact on children’s views of eating and
being obese, making them aware of the risks of unbalanced lifestyles and concerned
about ensuring they remain healthy.
 New
code for food ads for kids
(19 May 10) Food advertisements with a strong appeal to children must adhere to a new code launched by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) today.
The Children's
Code for Advertising Food was the result of a year-long review of three-year-old codes by the ASA with submissions from the Ministry of Health and other health groups, food standards and nutrition organisations, Otago University's marketing department, and food companies, including McDonalds.
ASA said the code required advertisers to take special care with advertising food that appealed to children, to uphold the role of parents in educating their children to have a balanced diet, and not to mislead about the nutritional value of food.
The new code reflected a desire from the Government, food industry and other groups to "work collectively in the best interests of children's health", ASA excutive director Hilary
Souter said.
"Principle 1" of the code says all food ads should be prepared with a "due sense of social responsibility to consumers and to society" and specifies that no advertisement should encourage over-consumption of food.
"The quantity of the food depicted in the advertisement should not exceed serving sizes that would be appropriate for consumption by a person or persons of the age depicted," the
new code specifies.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Drinks
giant wins world famous fight
(13 May 10) A David and Goliath stoush over the registration of "World Famous
in New Zealand" as a trademark has been won by soft-drink giant Coca-Cola Amatil.
But Paeroa businessman Tony Coombe wants to go another round.
Coombe has fought a legal battle for the free use of the "World Famous" phrase since 2007, has spent $30,000 so far and expects the bills to rise to about $50,000 with little prospect of reparation.
Why? He owns a non-trading company named World Famous in New Zealand but says the main reason for his opposition is because the phrase had become a "Kiwi-ism".
"It's used everywhere and it's more or less used in everyday language so I thought I'd put my hands up and say 'no'," he said after his Intellectual Property Office hearing in December.
However, assistant commissioner of trademarks Brian Jones decided in favour of Coca-Cola Amatil (NZ), which argued it had used the phrase since 1993 in connection with its L&P brand of soft drink.
Saatchi & Saatchi's Roy Meares developed the phrase specifically for Coca-Cola's
use and the company applied to register it as a trademark in 2004.
Jones knocked back Coombe's arguments that the mark was not distinctive enough
to be registered, or that it already had an existing generic use in both trade
and everyday language.
He disregarded Coombe's contention that, by 2004, the phrase had already been
used as a book title, a music title, a television programme title, and to describe
kiwiana and prominent persons.
Coombe and his lawyer David Marriot lodged an appeal on Monday to the High Court
at Wellington challenging the ruling on several grounds.
More at The
Independent.
 Organic
certifier takes a stand on labelling at food show
(13 May 10) Blind tastings, chances to win organic goods, and free information about organics are just some of what New Zealand’s leading organic certifier BioGro will be dishing up for consumers at the upcoming food show in Wellington, 14-16 May 2010.
“By being a part of the show we’re giving consumers the opportunity to taste and learn why and how organics is better than non-organic food” says BioGro’s CEO, Dr
Michelle Glogau.
While an increasing number of people are choosing to buy organic food over non-organic food, there is a still confusion amongst some consumers about what ‘organic’ actually means.
“This is not surprising” Dr Glogau explains. “There is a lot of misinformation and there are many myths around organic and non-organic farming. And despite much lobbying, there is still no specific regulation in New Zealand protecting the word ‘organic’ so products can be labelled as ‘organic’ without any requirement to prove this through certification”.
One of BioGro’s objectives is to make consumers aware that when they buy a product carrying BioGro’s logo they can be guaranteed that the highest organic standards have been met every step of the way.
BioGro has developed organic standards to define what organic producers can or can’t do. For example, farms must go through a three year conversion period before they are certified-organic and there is 12 month stand down period for animals if a conventional treatment is used.
Dr Glogau adds “We want more people to understand that organics means more than just spray-free or residue-free”.
Organic food is grown without the routine use of synthetic agricultural pesticides or fertilizers. Organic farmers aim to produce healthy and nutritious food from a balanced living soil and any processing is designed to retain its organic integrity and natural goodness, and minimize the use of additives.
“And we want to take consumers’ understanding one step further than that. We want them to appreciate the difference between ‘organic’ and ‘certified-organic’".
BioGro urges consumers to be savvy when shopping for organics and pay attention to what’s claimed on labels. If a product doesn’t say its ‘certified-organic’, BioGro suggests that consumers ask the grower or retailer what they mean by ‘organic’ and how they can prove that what they’re buying really is ‘organic’.
BioGro is 100% focussed on organics and has been at the forefront of commercial organics in New Zealand since it was founded 27 years ago. It continues to be led by its philosophical roots, with organic standards that support the organic principles it was founded on. It holds accreditations from International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), ISO 17020 and other international accreditations too which means its certification procedures and quality systems are regularly and independently audited.
To be certified-organic by BioGro, producers need to document a full management plan and record all inputs used in production. Producers are audited at least annually, along with spot audits, to verify that they comply with BioGro’s organic standards.
A number of BioGro-certified businesses will be showcasing their products at The Food Show including Retro Organics (a recent award winner at the Cuisine NZ Champions of Cheese Awards). For further information visit www.biogro.co.nz and http://www.foodshow.co.nz/index.cfm/visit/Wellington
 Sweet
new drinks can kill kids, says expert
(7 May 10) Alcohol experts are warning parents to keep their children away from cheap, sweetly flavoured drinks laced with enough alcohol to kill them.
Liquor Licensing Inspectors Institute president Murray Clearwater held up two 1.25-litre bottles of a raspberry lemonade called Big
Foot at a conference in Manukau yesterday which he bought at a price of "$15 for two".
The drink is eight per cent alcohol - double that of a standard beer.
"That's enough to kill someone, let alone a child," he said.
"Twenty standard drinks [the two bottles combined] could create gross intoxication in an adult, let alone a young person, and puts them at greater risk of walking in front of a car or alcohol poisoning. A thousand people die a year directly related to alcohol."
He said such cheap, sweet drinks were clearly aimed at young people and should be banned.
"There needs to be a social impact statement where people manufacturing this type of product need to identify that it was designed for an adult market. This was not."
A questioner asked Law Commissioner Sir Geoffrey Palmer to explain the
process for bringing products like Big Foot to the market.
Commission adviser Cate Brett said there was no process. Alcohol companies were
as free as any other business to introduce new products.
Julian Robertson of Independent Liquor, which markets Big Foot, said his product
was not marketed to youth and was clearly labelled as a "multi-serve pack", indicating that it should not all be drunk at once.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Panel
recommends MAF start again on pork import
standard
(28 Apr 10) An independent expert panel has given twenty-nine recommendations for the Ministry of
Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) to correct deficiencies in both the process and conclusions
drawn during its development of provisional import health standards for pig meat and pig
meat products from EU, Canada, USA, and Sonora State of Mexico.
“This is vindication for the pork industry” says Sam McIvor CEO of New
Zealand Pork. “We
have been continually raising our concerns around exotic disease risks with MAF over a four
year process and have had to spend over $600,000 of pig farmers’ hard earned money to
get to this point”
The panel’s report raises serious concerns about; process, transparency, methodology,
definitions, evidence, consistency, treatment of uncertainty, and use of independent experts
by MAF. "The panel members appointed by MAF were all highly respected internationally in
their fields, but carefully selected for their independence” says McIvor. “The contents in the
report leaves the reader in no doubt that MAF has considerable work to do before it will be
in a position to release revised import health standards and in fact one of the
recommendations is that MAF needs to start again by revising its import risk assessment.”
“From a pork industry perspective we just want the right answer. Our farmers have been
through one exotic disease outbreak and they certainly don’t deserve to have another one”.
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is the main concern. “It’s the world’s
No1 pig disease and its effects are devastating to pigs and equally devastating to the staff
who have to care for sick and dying pigs. Critics have said that the pork industry has been
focused on stopping pork imports as some sort of trade protection. The panel’s report
shows that criticism is way off the mark and that we have raised legitimate issues and acted
with integrity throughout this four year long process”, says McIvor.
The report also notes that MAF needs to improve its working relationship with industry.
“This is something we’ve been striving for right through this process”, says McIvor. “We’re
hopeful that this report provides a clear foundation and direction on how this could be
done”. MAF has invited key stakeholders to meet on Friday for an update. “We’re looking
forward to discussing how we can work together to see these 29 recommendations
implemented.”
 Liquor
report polarises industry stakeholders
(28 Apr 10)
A government-commissioned report recommending sweeping changes to liquor laws has polarised the many stakeholders involved and left Justice Minister Simon
Power with some difficult decisions.
Released by the Law Commission yesterday, the 500-page report recommends returning the alcohol drinking and purchasing age to 20, clamping down on advertising and promotion of alcohol, canning 24-hour trading and increasing excise tax by 50 percent.
The report's head architect, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, told reporters the aim was to reduce alcohol-related harm caused by New Zealand's growing culture of excessive drinking, and if recommendations were only adopted in part any impact would be watered down.
"No one policy in this sort of area works, that's why there are 153 recommendations," he
said.
Mr Power, who is charged with considering the report, said he welcomed it, but
he and Prime Minister John Key all but ruled out one of its main platforms --
excise tax increases -- soon after its release.
Police, the Alcohol Advisory Council, New Zealand Medical Association, university
professors, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Alcohol Healthwatch and some
opposition MPs all reacted to the report by throwing their support behind it.
Youth groups, the Food and Grocery Council and the Hospitality Association were
among those who slammed it as "nanny state" thinking.
More at National Business Review.
 Boost
for fish farm industry
(28 Apr 10)
The Government will
be able to overrule regional councils on new aquaculture applications
under rules designed to help triple the size of the industry.
Industry figures welcomed Cabinet recommendations to streamline the consent process
for new aquaculture farms, with no new space set aside since 2004.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley said the current regulations
for aquaculture were cumbersome and that, without change, it was
unlikely space for new ventures would be set aside for several
years.
"We want to free up regulatory bottlenecks that have kept aquaculture planning
in limbo."
The Government has said it supports Aquaculture New Zealand's goal to triple
the size of the industry to $1 billion in annual sales by 2025.
New recommendations outlined yesterday would see the Resource Management Act
changed to allow the minister of fisheries and aquaculture to overrule decisions
by regional councils in the national interest.
But Mr Heatley said this would be done only in exceptional circumstances.
He said the current legislation lacked incentive for regional councils to plan
for new development, with the councils forced to incur the cost of setting up
designated aquamarine areas.
While businesses could apply for a specific area to be established for farming,
there has been no guarantee that the applicant would then be awarded the consent
to farm the area ahead of a rival.
Minimum consent durations for aquaculture ventures would be extended from the
current five years to 20 years to provide more certainty over investment.
More at BusinessDay.
 Growers
call for origin labelling (21 Apr 10)
The discovery of tonnes of pesticide-contaminated vegetables in China has renewed New Zealand growers' calls for country-of-origin labelling.
The China Daily reports 9.6 tonnes of toxic vegetables were recently found at a market in Nanning, in southern China.
New Zealand imported $20 million worth of vegetables, including fresh garlic and some frozen vegetable products, from China last year, comprising 21 per cent of vegetable imports.
Talley's Group spokesman Bob Darragh said the discovery highlighted the need for consumers to have a choice about their food source.
"Talley's is the only producer which uses all New Zealand products," Darragh said.
"New Zealand producers have to meet certain standards – how do we know what is coming in also meets those standards?"
Horticulture New Zealand spokeswoman Leigh Catley said the good
agricultural practice (GAP) programme saw local producers working hard for low
or nil-residue products.
The body backed mandatory country-of-origin labelling, Catley said.
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority said it was aware of the situation.
A spokesman said surveillance testing, which targeted potentially suspect items,
had not found elevated residue levels.
More at The
Press.
 NZ
apple growers win against Australia (12 Apr 10)
Apple and pear growers have finally notched up a win against Australia at the
World Trade Organisation over use of non-tariff trade barriers to block the export
of NZ pipfruit across the Tasman. Sources say the WTO panel, which adjudicated
the long-running dispute, comprehensively
rejected the Australian defence, the trans-Tasman political newsletter
reported. The trade row has been running since NZ apples were first banned from
Australia in 1919 after fireblight was found on this side of the Tasman. Though
New Zealand scientists have found fireblight in Australian ornamental plants
and also showed that the bacterial disease is unlikely to be transmitted on mature,
clean fruit, efforts to gain access to the potentially-lucrative Australian market
in 1986, 1989, and 1995 were rejected. Further talks over the restrictions also
failed when New Zealand was given access with conditions so strict that exports
would not be economically viable and so it applied to the WTO for the matter
to be resolved in 2007. More at NZ
Herald.
 FSANZ
considers approving two GM foods (7 Apr 10)
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today released a consultation document for two applications to approve the sale of genetically modified (GM) foods in Australia and New Zealand and one for a processing aid obtained from a GM source.
All three applications require a pre-market safety assessment by FSANZ before they can be approved. They will only be approved if the scientific evidence shows that they are safe for human consumption.
The applications being considered are for foods derived from insect-protected soybean and drought-tolerant corn, respectively, and an engineered enzyme produced from a strain of Aspergillus niger.
Submissions for the soybean (A1035) and the lipase enzyme (A1036) close on 18 May 2010, while that for the GM corn (A1029) closes on 4 May 2010.
Food derived from insect-protected soybean MON 87701
Application A1035 – Assessment
- Monsanto Australia Ltd has requested approval for food derived from a GM insect-protected
soybean line MON 87701. The genetic modification involved the transfer of one
novel gene into soybean obtained from a common soil bacterium called Bacillus
thuringiensis. This gene protects the plant against feeding damage caused by
certain insect pest larvae. FSANZ has found no safety concerns with the consumption
of food obtained from this GM crop and has concluded that it is as at least as
nutritious as food obtained from other commercially available soybean varieties.
We invite comment from interested parties.
Food derived from drought-tolerant corn MON87460
Application A1029 – 2nd Assessment
- Monsanto Australia Ltd has applied for permission for the sale and use of food
derived from a new genetically modified variety of corn, drought-tolerant corn
line MON87460. This variety of corn has been modified to tolerate cultivation
under water-limited conditions. The corn is intended for cultivation in North
America. However, once commercialised, corn products imported into Australia
and New Zealand could contain ingredients derived from the MON87460 variety.
FSANZ has no safety concerns and favours its approval. Before reaching a final
decision, we welcome the views of the community.
Lipase derived from Aspergillus niger as a processing aid (enzyme)
Application A1036 – Assessment
- DSM Food Specialties seeks approval for a protein engineered enzyme (lipase),
produced from a genetically modified strain of Aspergillus niger, for use in
bakery applications to enhance the gas holding capacity of bread dough and to
increase the stability of the dough upon proofing, leading to an increased loaf
volume. FSANZ has conducted a pre-market safety assessment of this processing
aid, sourced from A. niger, which has an established safe history of use in the
production of food enzymes. We intend to approve the application and encourage
interested parties to submit comments.
Submissions: FSANZ welcomes public comment from industry, public health professionals, government agencies and consumers. Details of all the assessments above can be found at www.foodstandards.gov.au.
 Lamb:
footprint mostly from paddock (7 Apr 10)
The carbon footprint of a lamb chop has been revealed by a study which found
that every 100g of New Zealand lamb exported to Europe creates 1.9kg of greenhouse
gas emissions.
The study is relevant to New Zealand shoppers because most of the emissions -
80 per cent - are generated on the farm and just 5 per cent by shipping lamb
to Europe.
AgResearch scientists tracked lamb from paddock to plate, measuring the gases
produced by the sheep, cooking, refrigeration and transport.
They found shoppers could cut their impact by choosing chilled meat rather than
frozen and avoiding microwave defrosting of meat.
Lamb's greenhouse gas footprint was measured in CO2 equivalents, although
only a small proportion of the emissions were actually CO2 - the majority
was methane from cow burps and nitrous oxide from sheep excrement on the soil:
short-lived but potent greenhouse gases which are multiplied several times over
to get the equivalent in CO2.
Meat Industry Association, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Landcorp, and the Ministry
of Agriculture and Forestry paid for the study because they wanted to find out
where in the lamb's supply chain they could most easily cut greenhouse gases.
The study was done in accordance with UK carbon labelling standards, so the information
can be used on carbon footprint labels that are being rolled out by British food
chains.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Trans
fats may be listed (4 Apr 10)
Health experts are meeting this month to decide whether manufacturers will be
forced to list levels of the trans fatty acids on the packaging of all products
sold in New Zealand and Australia.
The fats are common in pastries, biscuits and fried foods.
They are popular in commercially-baked goods because they are cheap, make food
crispy and can extend a product's shelflife.
But nutritionists consider them the most dangerous type of fat in our food because
they can raise the level of "bad" cholesterol and reduce "good" cholesterol
- increasing the risk of heart disease, type two diabetes and stroke.
They have also been linked to infertility in women.
The review is being carried out by an all-Australian panel of experts appointed
by the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council. They
are taking submissions ahead of issuing a final report in December.
Food experts in New Zealand are divided on whether labelling should be compulsory.
Professor Murray Skeaff, head of Otago University's human nutrition department,
said food manufacturers should not be excused from labelling the trans fat
content.
"I think trans fat is the sort of fat we should be avoiding. It's [currently]
impossible for the consumer to control what sorts of fats they're eating."
However, Dave Monro, from the Heart Foundation, said intake of trans fats in
New Zealand was "very low" and getting lower.
"The real risk is from saturated fats found in animal products and other rich,
fatty meats, milk and milk products." Labelling
is already required for saturated fats, the main cause of high blood cholesterol
in this country.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Food
Safety Authority back to MAF (25 Mar 10)
As the government moves to merge several state agencies in search of efficiencies,
the Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) is to be folded into the Ministry
of
Agriculture
and Forestry
(MAF).
The plans are seen as a step toward more shared services throughout the state
sector.
State Services Minister Tony Ryall said the mergers would improve efficiency
and effectiveness at the agencies.
"We are looking to future-proof agencies during a time of increased restraint
and rising expectations of service delivery."
There would also be "non-structural changes to lift the performance of agencies.
"These changes are part of the Government's ongoing programme to reduce duplication
and operational costs, and ensure we have stronger government agencies delivering
better public services in the future."
"We are expecting to save up to an estimated $20 million over the next three
years including a reduction in staff numbers of up to 55 full time jobs," Mr
Ryall said.
NZFSA has been a stand-alone public service department since 2007, prior to which
(2002-2007) it operated as a semi autonomous body attached to the Ministry of
Agriculture
and
Forestry
(MAF).
Research, Science and Technology Minister
Wayne
Mapp welcomed the planned amalgamation
of his ministry and the Foundation
of Research Science and
Technology (FoRST).
"This move complements the strategic direction and priorities for science for
the future. It enables proper integration of the work of the ministry and foundation," he
said.
"The amalgamation is part of the overall strategy around boosting the contribution
of science to the Government's economic agenda.
He said one of the key issues in the merger was the independence of the contestable
funding process.
"The Government intends that deciding particular grants will be made at arm's
length."
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 World
keeping an eye on melamine (23 Mar 10)
A New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) toxicologist is working with a group
of experts from around the world to set an internationally-accepted limit for
melamine in foods that will harmonise global efforts to detect any deliberate
adulteration in the future. This follows the 2008 event in China when infant
formula laced with melamine killed at least six children and made many thousands
sick.
NZFSA principal toxicologist John Reeve will attend the Codex
Committee on Contaminants in Foods in Turkey next month, where he expects
the committee will consider a limit that will not only protect the health of
consumers all over the world, but also ensure that governments can take action
against the deliberate and unnecessary adulteration of products. It will also
avoid unnecessary barriers to trade in products that contain trace levels of
melamine that are not from adulteration. A New Zealand action level for the presence
of melamine was put in place in September 2008. Many other countries have set
their own limits at the same levels, but others who have no set limits take action
to prohibit imports of products if any presence of melamine is detected. Melamine
mimics protein, artificially bumping up protein measurements when a product is
tested. “Essentially the committee’s job will be to formalise a standard, removing
the variations that exist from country to country,” John says. “There has been
international backing within Codex for taking action and New Zealand has had
a significant input into setting this internationally-accepted limit.” Small
amounts of melamine inadvertently get into products either through migration
from the equipment food is processed on or because it’s common in tiny amounts
in the environment. “Our testing methods are getting much more sophisticated,
so we can detect melamine at miniscule levels that are harmless. Because these
miniscule levels are not the result of deliberate adulteration, it is appropriate
that an internationally agreed limit is set,” John says. “A zero limit for the
compound would not be practical and could be used as a technical barrier to trade.
Therefore the committee’s work is focussing on striking a balance between acknowledging
the ‘natural’ occurrence of the compound while protecting the health of consumers
and making it difficult for those willing to use unethical practices in food
production.” The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) sets international standards
and related documents for use by the 183 member nations to protect consumer health
and international trade. These standards are recognised as international benchmarks
for many developed and developing countries. Internationally-accepted standards
are vital for countries exporting and importing food. About 80% of the food New
Zealand produces is exported, bringing in more than half of our overseas earnings – more
than $20 billion a year.
 Fonterra's "dominance" a
barrier to US free trade deal (22 Mar 10)
US senators against a free trade agreement with New Zealand have
described our dairy industry as having "anti-competitive practices".
The Dominion Post reported that a letter signed by 30 senators was sent
to US Trade Representative Ron Kirk.
Talks started last week in Melbourne on a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) which
would build on the previously negotiated P4 trade agreement between New Zealand,
Brunei, Chile and Singapore to include the US, Australia, Peru and Vietnam.
Idaho senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch led 28 other US senators, including former
Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, in urging "very careful attention
to dairy trade concerns" in the letter.
"Because of the anti-competitive practices in New Zealand's dairy industry and
the extensive degree of control it wields over world dairy markets to the detriment
of the US dairy industry, we are deeply concerned that an expansion of US-New
Zealand dairy trade would further open the US to these imports," the
senators wrote.
Losses to US dairy producers may total up to US$20 billion during the first decade
of the agreement if restrictions were fully phased out in the partnership, they
said. Trade Minister Tim Groser said it was "palpable nonsense" to say that Fonterra
had created an unfair market. Though it dominated the domestic market, it had
to compete like every other company internationally, he said.
The US subsidised dairy producers but New Zealand did not.
More at NZ
Herald.
Nestle
drops palm oil supplier (18 Mar 10)
Nestle, the world's biggest food group, said it had stopped buying palm oil from Indonesia's Sinar Mas due to concerns about rainforest destruction, following a similar move by consumer goods firm Unilever.
Nestle's announcement came after Greenpeace released a report on Wednesday which looked into how the company was sourcing palm oil.
Switzerland's Nestle, which uses the edible oil in its food products such as KitKat bars, said it had replaced Sinar Mas with another supplier for further shipments after conducting its own investigations into its palm oil supply chain.
"We will continue to pressure our suppliers to eliminate any sources of palm oil which are related to rainforest destruction and to provide valid guarantees of traceability as quickly as possible," Nestle
said in a statement.
It added that it had only bought from Sinar Mas for manufacturing in Indonesia,
and no palm oil bought from Sinar Mas had been used by Nestle for manufacturing
in any other country.
Environmentalist group Greenpeace highlighted the practices of Nestle's suppliers'
and their impact on rainforests, peatlands and the habitat of endangered orangutans
in their report on Wednesday.
Anglo-Dutch Unilever, the world's largest user of palm oil, said in December
it had suspended purchases from Sinar Mas on similar concerns.
Nestle has said it aims to only use palm oil that is certified as sustainable
by 2015. More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Food
safety agency merger warning (9 Mar 10)
Labour will hold the National government to account if re-merging the NZ Food Safety Authority with the Agriculture Ministry results in declining food safety standards, say Deputy Leader Annette
King and Food Safety spokesperson Dr Ashraf Choudhary.
King, who became the country’s first Food Safety Minister in 2002 when NZFSA was set up within MAF, said independent advice had been sought before the separation in 2007. Labour wants an assurance from National that it had sought similarly independent advice before the likely re-merger.
“We don’t oppose efficient mergers, but there were very good reasons, including conflicts of interest, for us setting up the independent authority in 2007. National must assure us they have equally good evidence for turning the clock back, because if food safety suffers, they will be held to account.
“We set up the authority to protect consumers and enhance New Zealand’s position as a trusted food supplier,” said King. “On the face of it, without having been shown evidence, it seems the re-merger is happening simply to save money.”
Dr Choudhary said the food sector has an estimated annual $22 billion turnover and employs more than 20 per cent of working New Zealanders.
“The Authority has shown that as a stand-alone organisation it can be light on its feet and move quickly to intercept any threat to our food exports. Where is the evidence to justify putting that proven efficiency and effectiveness at risk?
More at FoodWeek
Online.
Banning
cough lozenges & Lemsip in supermarkets "absurd": FGC (9 Mar 10)
Medsafe’s "Nanny state power play" to ban cough remedies in supermarkets is absurd
and does not draw on international evidence or common sense, says Katherine Rich,
Chief Executive of the Food & Grocery Council.
The current consultation is fundamentally flawed she says, because the document
being
used to base these discussions is so full of factual errors and misrepresentations.
The impact of the proposal is extreme. Banning the sale of 70 cough/cold remedies
from supermarkets and dairies will mean that New Zealanders pay up to 30-45%
more for the same products in pharmacies. New Zealanders’ access to these products
when they suffer coughs and colds will be dramatically reduced.
Rich says
the Medsafe submission to the Medicines Classifications Committee (MCC) has two
main arguments: that the United Kingdom
has made all these
products “pharmacy only” (so New Zealand must automatically follow) and that
this recommendation is supported by the Medsafe’s Cough and Cold Review Group.
Both statements, which are used to add weight to the proposal, she says are factually
wrong and misleading.
The United Kingdom has not banned the sale of adult formulations and products
such as cough lozenges. Lemsip hot drinks and other cough/cold remedies for those
over the age of twelve years remain freely available in supermarkets on general
sale. The Cough and Cold Review Group did not recommend a change; rather it referred
the classification of certain actives to the MCC for consideration for children
up to 12 years of age.
The FGC also points out that if the MCC supports this sales ban, it will reclassify
a series of products which Medsafe only approved for general sale less than a
year
ago, a "regulatory flip-flop" that makes New Zealand look disorganised in terms
of
its regulatory processes.
Second
round of consultation on Review of Food Labelling Law (26 Feb 10)
The Committee conducting the Independent Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy
is about to embark on the planned second round of public consultations in Australia
and New Zealand.
This Review, chaired by Dr Neal Blewett AC, is being conducted at the request
of the Council of Australian Governments and the Australia and New Zealand
Food Regulation Ministerial Council, representing Australian and New Zealand
Governments.
This public consultation period is an important opportunity for people to provide
the Review Committee with specific information about ways to improve food labelling
in Australia and New Zealand.
The Food Labelling Review Issues Consultation Paper summarises the issues
that have been raised in the first round of submissions to the Review, as well
as
issues in the literature and media in recent years. This Paper elaborates on
the Review’s Terms of Reference and has been prepared to stimulate thinking
and debate. It is important to now take the next step in the Review process
and begin thinking about the range of solutions and ideas to improve food labelling.
The Food Labelling Review Issues Consultation Paper will be released
on 5 March 2010 via the website (www.foodlabellingreview.gov.au).
The closing date for written submissions is 14 May 2010. Submissions that add
to the deliberation
and discussion (and meet the submission guidelines) will be made publicly available
on the website.
As part of the consultation, the Review Committee will be holding public forums
in Australia and New Zealand from 17 March – 7
May 2010 (Wellington:
Thursday 25th March,
Christchurch:
Friday 26th March). Members of the public are encouraged to take the opportunity
to respond to the consultation questions, and to attend one of the public meetings
(register at www.foodlabellingreview.gov.au).
Supplemented
Food Standard issued by Minister (18 Feb 10)
The Minister for Food Safety, Hon Kate Wilkinson, has issued the New
Zealand
Food (Supplemented Food) Standard 2010, covering food type dietary
supplements (supplemented foods) which were previously regulated under the New
Zealand
Dietary Supplement Regulations 1985.. The Standard will be gazetted today (Thursday
18th Feb), and will come into effect on 31 March 2010.
The Supplemented Food Standard aligns, as much
as possible, the requirements for food type dietary supplements with those
for foods regulated under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. It
will pick up some sports foods and others with higher levels of vitamins and
minerals, as well as "energy drinks" and "shots" containing
caffeine levels
in excess of those permitted under the Food Standards Code, which have exploited
a "regulatory loophole" by being registered as dietary supplements.
The Supplemented Food Standard will be administered by the New Zealand Food
Safety
Authority, and has a two year transition period to allow manufacturers and
suppliers of supplemented foods to comply with the new requirements.
 Download
a copy here: New Zealand Food (Supplemented Food) Standard 2010 
The Dietary Supplements Regulations have been amended to exclude food-type dietary
supplements and to provide permission for an increase to the allowable level
of folic acid in dietary supplements that are made under Good Manufacturing
Process. The Dietary Supplements Regulations will be administered by the New
Zealand Ministry of Health (as was the case prior to 2002). Any future changes
to the regulation of therapeutic-type dietary supplements will be subject to
separate consultation by the Ministry of Health.
 Efforts
to standardise quality of processed cheese abandoned (16 Feb 10)
The Codex Alimentarius Commission's dairy committee which has been meeting regularly
in Auckland has agreed to discontinue work on a new standard for processed
cheese products because members
could not agree on key issues such as how much actual cheese the products should
contain.
Processed cheese is used in foods such as pizza toppings, hamburgers and sandwich
fillings, and can also contain milkfat, vegetable oil, emulsifiers and homogenisers.
"This means the trade of processed cheese will continue to be driven by the requirements
and specifications operating in different markets under bilateral agreement with
each trading partner setting the criteria for what they want a processed cheese
to look like," said the committee chairman, Dr Steve Hathaway.
Chair of the United Nations food standards committee's meetings for 10 years,
he said the dispute was only the second time in the committee's 16 years delegates
could not agree on an issue
- the other being naming rights for parmesan cheese.
Dr Hathaway, science director of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, emphasised
that in both cases the disagreement was not about food safety.
New Zealand delegation head Ann Hayman said the lack of consensus on processed
cheese would not harm New Zealand trade, but could mean tariffs were placed on
processed "low cheese" products by countries that wanted to protect their own "high
cheese" products.
The committee wrapped up its final meeting by setting a standard for fermented
milk, which was often sold in a yoghurt and fruit juice mix claimed to have beneficial
bacteria for gut health.
Such fermented milk drinks - smoothies, yoghurts and kefir products - would be
required to contain at least 40 percent dairy ingredients, and to be labeled
with the amount of fermented milk and added water they contained.
All changes adopted will be finalised during the July
2010 Codex meeting before they become official standards, which are implemented
on a voluntary basis.
More at 3News.
Codex Committee meets in Auckland (2 Feb 10)
The New Zealand Food
Safety Authority today hosted a meeting of 60 dairy producing
nations
in Auckland
to
develop
international
standards to keep milk products flowing, a subject close to New
Zealand's heart as exporter of a third of the world's dairy trade.
The meeting is the ninth session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk
Products.
Codex is the international food standards-setting agency which develops durable
and globally accepted food standards that protect consumer health and promote
fair trade.
Chair of the meeting Dr Steve Hathaway, director of NZFSA's
Science group, says Codex food standards are vitally important to consumer safety
and New Zealand's
economy.
"New Zealand has one of the best natural milk production systems in the world
and our dairy exports represent more than a third of world trade in dairy products.
We work hard to protect this position and it underpins our special interest in
the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products."
New Zealand will be advocating flexible, non-prescriptive international dairy
standards that are founded on good science and support technological developments.
Since the committee was established in 1993, the Codex Committee on Milk and
Milk Products has created or updated more than 40 international standards covering
various cheeses, milk powders, creams, fermented milks, casein and other products
containing dairy and non dairy ingredients.
Dr Hathaway says recent changes to the international fermented milk standard
are an example of the importance of internationally-agreed standards to New Zealand.
"Using scientific data, New Zealand was instrumental in convincing the committee
to expand the list of ingredients used to make fermented milk products to include
dried milk powder, even though fermented milk products are traditionally made
from fresh milk.
"Milk powder is one of our dairy industry's biggest export earners and the inclusion
of dried milk powder has significantly enhanced our ability to maintain market
access for this product, for example, countries like Taiwan."
Over the next three days, delegates will continue the task of developing international
food trade standards for dairy products, and will also debate the need for a
global standard for processed cheese.
Dr Hathaway is confident the negotiations and agreements reached at the meeting
will be of significant benefit to global consumers in assuring food safety. He
hopes it will also help facilitate trade for New Zealand's dairy exporters.
 GRAS
approval sweet news for Kiwi co. (2 Feb 10)
Waikato company BioVittoria has been given the green light to
sell their sweetening products in the US market.
BioVittoria is the world's largest producer and processor of luo han (also known
as monk fruit).
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified the company yesterday that
that their Fruit-Sweetness branded fruit concentrate has been
granted GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe) status as a sweetener and flavour
enhancer.
"BioVittoria has transformed the monk fruit industry through advances in plant
varieties, seedling cultivation, growing methods and fruit processing", said
CEO David Thorrold.
"The FDA no-objections letter is the final step in bringing our product into
the mainstream", he said. "This final piece of regulatory compliance is what
the large food and beverage companies (in the US) have been waiting for."
More at NZ
Herald.
 Ban's
demise sweet deal for winemakers (21 Jan 10)
British wine drinkers will soon be quaffing New Zealand sweet riesling for the first time after Europe lifted a long-standing trade barrier on sweet wine imports.
New Zealand winemakers were given the all-clear to export sweet wines, such as botrytised riesling and pinot gris, to Europe last month, and some are already pushing their way on to British wine lists.
While sweet wines represent less than 1 per cent of the wine produced in New Zealand, many in the industry said lifting the ban would significantly boost the country's premium producer reputation.
Britain is the second biggest export market for New Zealand wine, after Australia, consuming 41 million litres in the year to November.
Canterbury's Pegasus Bay Winery has already began talking to British restaurants about supplementing their stock of sauvignon blanc with a few of the sweet wines.
Marketing manager Edward Donaldson said British distributors and consumers were excited about getting their hands on a totally different range of New Zealand wine.
"While sweet wines would never compete with the popularity of Kiwi sauvignon
blanc in Britain it would build a broader appreciation of New Zealand wine, he
said.
New Zealand Winegrowers has been pushing for a change to the European restriction
since the 1990s.
The rationale for the restriction was that anything with a potential alcohol
content of more than 15 per cent could not be classed as wine. While sweet wine's
alcohol content is well below the threshold, its unfermented sugar content could "potentially" be
fermented to boost the alcohol content above 15 per cent.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 $1m
honey export order seized (19 Jan 10)
A $1 million honey export order being packed in Timaru has been seized by the
New Zealand Food Safety Authority.
The product, labelled as honey, was detained last month, NZFSA's assistant director
of operation response, Justin Rowlands, confirmed yesterday.
Rowlands said the authority's staff were gathering information to determine whether
the product complied with the Animal Products Act and the Food Act.
He would not comment on where the honey had come from, which market it was destined
for, or the nature of the possible breach.
It is understood the issue related to the unique manuka factor (UMF) of the honey.
Eighteen months ago the Active Manuka Honey Association stepped up testing to
identify honey producers among its membership whose product was not true to the
UMF label.
UMF is an antibacterial property which is naturally present in some strains of
manuka honey, but not all.
Manuka honey with the special UMF antibacterial property is highly sought-after
for its health-giving qualities.
The University of Waikato has been investigating the healing properties of New
Zealand manuka honey for almost 30 years.
Laboratory studies have shown UMF manuka honey is effective against a wide range
of very resistant bacteria including the major wound-infecting bacteria and stomach
ulcer causing bacteria helicobacter pylori.
The UMF activity is additional to the usual active properties of honey. Not all
manuka honey has the UMF activity and the strength varies among those that do.
The higher the UMF factor the greater the strength of the UMF antibacterial property
in the honey. The honey is tested in a licensed laboratory after packing to establish
its UMF strength.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Call
to ban all adverts of junk food to children (4 Jan 09)
The World Health Organisation has suggested that a complete ban on advertising
junk food to children is preferable to more limited controls such as those used
in New Zealand.
A paper to be considered this month in Switzerland by the WHO's executive board,
on which New Zealand holds a seat, recommends the aim should be to reduce the
marketing to children of foods high in bad fats, sugar or salt.
It notes that countries can adopt a "comprehensive approach" which fully eliminates
all marketing of unhealthy food and drink to children, including the newer channels
like websites, emails and text messages - or they can take smaller steps.
"A comprehensive approach has the highest potential to achieve the desired impact," the
paper says.
Auckland University Emeritus Professor Robert Beaglehole, a former director
of
the
WHO's
department
of chronic diseases
and health promotion, says the time
has come to impose a complete ban. He said New Zealand's system of self-regulation
of food marketing by the food and advertising industries did too little to protect
children from the risks of becoming obese.
Nearly a third of children and two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese.
But the Association of New Zealand Advertisers' executive director, Jeremy Irwin,
said yesterday that self-regulation - under codes overseen by the Advertising
Standards Authority - was working well and no further regulation was required.
The codes on advertising food and advertising to children were being reviewed
and an additional code, on advertising food to children, which would cover concerns
about foods high in fat, sugar or salt, was about to be released, he said.
Television stations in 2008 agreed to make food advertising during school-aged
children's programming times reflect the Government's Healthy Eating-Healthy
Action policies. Advertising during pre-school programming times is not permitted.
More at NZ
Herald.
Kiwi
claims back "world famous in NZ" (17 Dec 09)
A Paeroa man has taken on a multinational company in an intellectual property rights dispute over the phrase "World
Famous in New Zealand".
Tony Coombe has objected to Coca-Cola Amatil's attempt to trademark the saying. The dispute played out yesterday at an Intellectual Property Office hearing in Auckland.
Coca-Cola has used the slogan to promote its L&P soft drink, which has its spiritual home in the Hauraki Plains town of Paeroa, since 1993 – though the company applied for the trademark only in 2004.
But Mr Coombe owns a non-trading company named World Famous in New Zealand and said he believed the phrase, a "Kiwi-ism", belonged to all New Zealanders. Coca-Cola disagreed, saying the words were clearly connected to its product and the trademark application should proceed.
Mr Coombe previously owned and ran the L&P Cafe in Paeroa with his business partner John Tregidga. After using the L&P
name for six years, Coca-Cola forced the cafe and associated companies to change
their titles.
The partners renamed the companies but still believes the use of the "World Famous" phrase should be unrestricted.
"Coca-Cola just want to control everything and World Famous in New Zealand has been around for a long time and now they're trying to control it," Mr
Coombe said after the hearing.
His lawyer, David Marriot, argued that the phrase was used in the title of a
book, a CD and a television series and had entered the Kiwi vernacular.
In its submission Coca-Cola said that its advertising agency invented the slogan
in 1993. More at
www.stuff.co.nz.
Proposed
changes to food laws: public comment invited (16 Dec 09)
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has invited individuals and organisations
with an interest in the regulation of food to provide information and comment
on a number of possible changes to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
The changes under consideration include the approval of genetically modified
(GM) maize, cotton and corn, and erythrosine as a colouring for icing.
Details of how to make a submission can be found on the FSANZ
website. The
closing date for submissions is Wednesday 10 February 2010.
Food derived from herbicide-tolerant (GM) maize – Application
A1021 AssessmentPioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. has requested an amendment to the Food Standards
Code to permit the sale and use of food derived from a new genetically modified
(GM) variety of maize, dual herbicide-tolerant maize line DP-098140-6. This maize
has been genetically modified for tolerance to the broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate
and to acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides. We have completed a
comprehensive safety assessment of this GM maize and have no safety concerns
and consider food derived from it to be as wholesome as that derived from other
commercial maize varieties. Comment is welcomed.
Food derived from insect-protected and herbicide-tolerant
(GM) cotton – Application
A1028 Assessment FSANZ received an Application from
Bayer CropScience Pty Ltd requesting a variation to the Food Standards code to
permit the sale and use of food derived from genetically
modified cotton line T304-40, conferring insect-protection against feeding damage
by Lepidopteran insect larvae and tolerance to herbicides containing glufosinate
ammonium. We considered the genetic modification to the plant; the potential
toxicity and allergenicity of the novel proteins; and the composition of the
cotton line compared with that of conventional cotton cultivars, and found no
threats to human health from food derived from this cotton.
Food derived from drought-tolerant (GM) corn – Application A1029 1st
Assessment Monsanto Australia Limited (Monsanto) has requested approval
to permit the sale and use of food derived from a new genetically modified (GM)
variety of corn, ‘drought-tolerant’ corn
line MON87460. This genetically modified corn has been developed to reduce yield
loss under water-limited conditions. FSANZ must satisfy itself that food derived
from GM sources is safe for human consumption before approval is given. We applied
our usual safety assessment procedures to this drought-tolerant corn and concluded
that food derived from it is safe to consume. We seek comment from interested
parties.
Beta-Galactosidase as a processing aid (enzyme) – Application A1032 Assessment Friesland
Campina Domo is seeking approval to use Bacillus circulans ATCC 31382 as a new
microbial source of the enzyme beta-galactosidase. Beta-galactosidase
is used in the production of galacto-oligosaccharides. All processing aids must
be assessed by FSANZ before they can be used in the manufacture of foods for
sale in Australia and New Zealand. No safety concerns were identified for the
enzyme preparation, the enzyme itself or the source microorganism. We are therefore
recommending approval of this application and invite comment, especially from
the food industry.
Maltotetraohydrolase as a processing aid -– Application A1033 Assessment Danisco
A/S via Axiome Pty Ltd is seeking approval for the use of a new processing aid
(enzyme), maltotetraohydrolase, produced from a genetically modified Bacillus
licheniformis containing a modified gene from Pseudomonas stutzeri. Use of the
enzyme delays the staling of bakery products and extends the acceptable eating
quality period. The enzyme is expected to be largely inactivated during baking
and will have no further technological function after baking. Our safety evaluation
raised no risks to human health. We are therefore recommending approval of this
enzyme. We welcome information and comments.
Red 3 erythrosine in food colouring preparations
Application A603 – Draft Assessment Golding Handicrafts of New Zealand
has applied to FSANZ to expand the permission for the red food colouring erythrosine
to icing and food colouring preparations.
Erythrosine is currently only permitted in preserved cherries. The maximum permitted
level sought for icing is 1/100th of the level permitted in cherries. A comprehensive
scientific risk assessment carried out by FSANZ was based on assumptions that
are highly protective of consumers. The assessment concluded that at the proposed
levels a highly restricted use of erythrosine to colour preserved cherries and
icing is safe over a lifetime of consumption, even for children and major consumers
of these foods . The labelling requirements of the Code will apply to ensure
that consumers can make informed decisions when purchasing foods containing erythrosine.
We invite comment from the community and the food industry.
Submissions: FSANZ welcomes public comment from industry, public health professionals,
government agencies and consumers. Details of all the assessments above can be
found on www.foodstandards.gov.au .
Submissions should reach FSANZ by 10 February
2010.
 Eating
less meat will not save the planet: Beef + Lamb (4 Dec 09)
Eating less meat will not save the planet, especially our part of it here in New Zealand is the message from Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s CEO, Rod Slater. “Cutting out meat one day a week might seem a simple solution, but there is little evidence to show any benefit,” says Mr Slater.
Mr Slater’s comments come after former Beatle and well-known vegetarian activist, Sir
Paul McCartney, addressed the European Parliament yesterday, claiming ‘less meat = less heat’. McCartney was joined by fellow vegetarian, Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, who suggested meat consumption five to six days a week an appropriate level. Most New Zealanders eat red meat around three to four times a week on average.
The New Zealand meat industry is proud of its achievements in the environmental area, producing healthy, nutritious, sustainable meat, which plays an important role in the Kiwi diet. A commitment by New Zealand’s beef and lamb farmers to more sustainable farming practices over the past two decades has seen the sector reduce its carbon footprint by 17% since 1990. Suggesting meat’s not green is an emotive slur on an industry which continues investment in on-going research, striving for further improvements.
“Eating less meat has potential nutritional implications. Despite living in a land of apparent plenty, nutritional deficiencies exist within New Zealand, including a lack of iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Red meat provides all these daily necessities, with Kiwis obtaining the greatest amount of their protein, zinc and vitamin B12 from beef and lamb. New Zealanders should continue to enjoy lean beef and lamb as part of a balanced diet, confident in its quality and the credibility of those involved in its production” says Slater.
Changes
afoot for dietary supplements regulations (25 Nov 09)
A proposed revamp of regulations covering dietary supplements may make it to
Parliament next year, New Zealand Food Safety Authority adviser Ursula
Egan says.
The rejig and development of a standard for "supplemented food" is expected to
shake up the multi-billion dollar industry which has built up around dietary
supplements.
"We propose to amend the dietary supplement regulations and to have a new supplemented
food standard," Ms Egan said.
This meant the current dietary supplement regulations would be changed to cover
therapeutic-type products in capsules or powders targeted to health benefits
rather than nutrition.
The new supplemented food standard will pick up some sports foods and others
with higher levels of vitamins and minerals, and some other added nutrients not
permitted in the food standards code.
She said the Health Ministry started working on the law changes a decade ago
and NZFSA had been working with it for the past four years.
"We are hopeful that it will come to fruition early next year," said Ms Egan.
The present food code did not adequately cover foods sold as dietary supplements,
as it has low levels of specified vitamin and mineral levels. And sometimes permissions
under dietary supplement regulations were not as extensive as those under the
food code, such as for artificial sweeteners.
Some approvals had been changed to allow foods previously sold as dietary supplements
to be sold as foods - such as formulated beverages and sports drinks.
More at Yahoo!Xtra.
 China
executes melamine duo (25 Nov 09)
Fonterra says the Sanlu tainted milk scandal which killed at
least six children in China has been "a terrible tragedy",
after China yesterday executed two people for their role in lacing milk with
melamine.
The official Xinhua news agency, citing a court statement, said Geng Jinping
and Zhang Yujun were executed yesterday.
Geng Jinping was convicted of producing and selling toxic food, after selling
more than 900 tonnes of tainted milk, and cattle farmer Zhang Yujun was executed "for
the crime of endangering public safety by dangerous means" - he produced more
than 770 tonnes of melamine-laced protein powder, of which he sold more than
600 tonnes, between July 2007 and August 2008. Fonterra held a 43 per
cent stake in Sanlu, though they have since written off their $201 million investment
in the now-bankrupt Chinese company.
Nearly 300,000 children fell ill last year after drinking milk intentionally
laced with melamine.
A total of 21 Sanlu executives and middlemen were tried and sentenced in January
by a court in the northern city of Shijiazhuang for their involvement in the
case.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Inghams'
chickens not "GM-free" (18 Nov 09)
Inghams Enterprises (NZ) Pty – New Zealand's second-biggest chicken supplier – has been warned for breaching the Fair Trading Act over television and magazine advertisement claims that its chickens do not contain GM ingredients.
The Commerce Commission announced the warning yesterday, saying it would continue monitoring the company.
Inghams' chickens are given soya feed, which contains 13 per cent GM soy.
The commission had asked Jack Heinemann, a professor of genetics and molecular biology at the University of Canterbury, to report whether animals exposed to GM feed carried GM ingredients.
Heinemann said studies showed chickens fed GM material still had DNA and proteins produced by the feed, even when the carcass is at the supermarket.
"There would be exposure to the material in the customers eating this food, but how long it would persist or whether we could detect it in a human being, if we could at all ... I have no idea."
People wanting to avoid GM material should not eat animals fed GM food, he said.
Commerce Commission fair trading director Adrian Sparrow said consumers should be able to rely on advertising statements.
"To consumers, perception is everything. Someone buying a chicken that is promoted as containing no GM ingredients, would not expect that the chickens had been fed on 13 per cent GM soya feed."
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Liquor
reform must end "archaic thinking" (2 Nov 09)
The Distilled Spirits Association is urging the end of anti-competitive, illogical and discriminatory regulation of the liquor industry.
Distilled Spirits Association Chief Executive Thomas Chin says the vast majority of New Zealanders are responsible consumers and legislation should not penalise them in an attempt to control abuse by a few nor should it be used as a social engineering tool.
“The Association is committed to working with stakeholders to reduce the abuse of alcohol and supports carefully targeted measures based on sound scientific evidence as the most effective means of achieving this.”
In particular, the Association wants to see recognition that “alcohol is alcohol” and an end to product discrimination that leads to restrictions on the sale of spirits and higher levels of excise taxation.
“The blood alcohol test used by police does not discriminate between alcohol in beer, wines or spirits, and nor should it. But legislation on the manufacture, distribution and sale of liquor is riddled with distinctions, many of which have their origins in the patronising attitudes prevalent in the 19th century,” Mr Chin says.
“That archaic thinking is no longer relevant in the 21st century and should be eliminated by the current review of liquor legislation being carried out by the Law Commission. Further, those changes should be reflected in new liquor legislation the Government may choose to introduce next year.”
In submissions to the Law Commission review chaired by Sir Geoffrey Palmer, the Association wants:
· Excise tax levied at a uniform rate on beverages according to their alcohol content
· Removal of business limiting restrictions in the sale of alcohol beverages in off-premise venues
· On-licences to be allowed to serve alcohol beverages in any sized container desired by customers.
“These changes would level the playing field for alcohol beverages and remove curious anomalies such as the restriction that allows an on-licence to serve a 750ml bottle of wine or beer to customers but not spirits in a container of more than 500ml capacity, unless the person is a lodger on the premise,” Mr Chin says.
More importantly, the Association wants a uniform rate of excise tax based on alcohol by volume, as recommended by several Government committees in the last 20 years. Currently, excise tax on spirits is levied at nearly twice the rate on beer and wine*.
“The Government agreed and implemented progressive change in 1989 but reverted to the discriminatory excise regime in 1992,” Mr Chin says.
“Introducing a uniform tax rate on alcohol in one step would have revenue implications for the Government and would be difficult to achieve. The Association recognises this and believes a transitional regime could be devised to achieve a sound policy outcome.”
In its submissions to the Law Commission last month the Association recommended that the age for purchasing alcohol remain unchanged at 18 and the successful voluntary self-regulation of advertising standards continue without the added burden of statutory compliance.
“While the framework of the current Sale of Liquor legislation is working well, this is a once in a generation opportunity to eliminate the anomalies from the main body of legislation and adapt it to meet the reasonable needs of the vast majority of responsible consumers.
“Liquor legislation should not treat New Zealanders as though they are foolish and not to be trusted,” Mr Chin says.
 Scientific
evidence on safety of 'energy' drinks weighed (28 Oct 09)
The safety of energy drinks containing caffeine is under review.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand's (FSANZ) ministerial council is considering the scientific evidence on caffeine and its use in energy drinks.
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) is also updating its risk profile of caffeine, with results due this year.
FSANZ said it was responding to community concerns over the number of energy drinks containing caffeine, and reports of incidents involving youngsters who had been drinking the products.
Canterbury public health nutritionist Bronwen King said manufacturers were using a law loophole to market drinks and shots with high caffeine levels.
Food and drinks must not have more than 320 milligrams of caffeine per litre.
However, companies got around this by labelling energy products as "dietary supplements".
King said dietary supplements should be sold in pharmacies, health-food shops or the supplements section of the supermarket, rather than beside sweets at the checkout.
Children regularly having energy drinks and shots were at risk of nutritional deficiencies, becoming overweight or obese, and bone problems, she said.
"While saying on the label `not suitable for children', these products are clearly designed to hook kids in so they keep buying the product," she
said.
More at The
Press.
 Aussies
to review our food labelling laws (28 Oct 09)
A wide-ranging review of New Zealand's labelling laws for packaged food is likely
to be run entirely by Australians.
The year-long review has a broad brief and food-safety campaigners hope it will
look at contentious matters such as the disclosure on labels of genetically
modified ingredients and a "traffic-light" system to show if a food is healthy
or unhealthy.
Current rules covering packaged foods require at least a nutrition panel, a list
of ingredients and the disclosure of various allergens.
But consumer research indicates these are poorly understood and many people rarely
read them.
The review was instigated by the Council of Australian Governments and the Australia
and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council.
The ministerial council has said the independent review panel will be headed
by former Australian Health Minister Neal
Blewett, but it is yet to announce the other members.
A ministerial council official said yesterday she did not know if a New Zealander
would be among them. "To be quite frank, I don't think so, but I don't know."
Greens health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley said it would reinforce New Zealand's loss
of sovereignty on food standards under a treaty which relegated New Zealand to
having only one vote on a ministerial council dominated by Australian states.
New Zealand's ministerial council member, Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson,
is overseas. Her office did not answer questions on the review yesterday.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Study
calls into question Govt's folic-acid block (23 Oct 09)
New research on folic acid has largely dismissed the cancer concerns that led
to the Government's going cold on plans for its mandatory addition to bread.
Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson in August deferred the plan until 2012 but
the new research has prompted a call for a rethink. Her move was based on public
submissions, sought after a campaign by the food industry against "mass medication" and
which highlighted evidence linking the vitamin to increased cancer risk. But
now the Food Standards Agency in Britain, where similar concerns were raised,
has released research that concludes: "The new evidence does not provide a substantial
basis to change [the] previous recommendation for the introduction of mandatory
fortification" of bread flour. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, a
B vitamin present in many foods including leafy vegetables and wholemeal bread.
As the New Zealand diet contains too little, women are encouraged to take folic
acid supplements when planning to become pregnant, to reduce the risk of fetuses
with defects like spina bifida. Fortification was proposed because many pregnancies
are not planned, although supplementation would still have been advised. Some
foods are voluntarily fortified. Mandatory addition to most bread was to start
in September, until the Government opted out of a transtasman regulation under
which Australia has introduced mandatory addition of folic acid to bread flour.
More at NZ
Herald.
 FSANZ
OK's calcium-fortified gum (21 Oct 09)
Chewing gum giant Wrigley is planning to sell a calcium-fortified gum in New Zealand, with claims that it will improve oral health.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand, the transtasman food regulator, has approved the addition of calcium to sugar-free
gum, on application from Wrigley. Each serving of gum - two pellets
or one stick - is permitted to deliver up to 200mg of calcium.
Calcium-fortified gum can be bought from dentists in New Zealand and Wrigley
sells it in the United States and Britain. Staff in Sydney said yesterday they
could not say when the company would have a product for release in Australia
or New Zealand.
Wrigley maintains chewing sugar-free gum fortified with calcium may be good for
dental health, a view backed by Food Standards.
The agency dismissed the concerns of Victoria's Department of Human Services
that permitting the scheme may set a precedent to fortify lollies and soft drinks.
Food Standards said chewing gum containing minimal residual sugars differed from
other foods of little or no nutritional value like sweets or soft drinks, since
chewing the gum after meals was good for oral health and was recommended by dentists.
More at NZ
Herald.
Health
claims "watchdog" already in place - NZFSA (16 Oct 09)
A call by Canterbury public health nutritionist Bronwen King to
establish a 'watchdog' system to guard the public from unscrupulous and unwarranted
health claims on food products has drawn a sharp response from the NZ Food Safety
Authority. Claims over the health benefits of probiotic bacteria, taurine-based
energy drinks and glucosamine have been rejected in a recent report by the European
Food
Safety
Authority (EFSA).
Of the first 500 medical-sounding claims investigated by the EFSA, 350 were unproven.
King
said
the
EFSA findings
illustrated the need for greater vigilance.
"The general public is never adequately prepared against marketing expertise – they
know how to push our buttons," she said.
"A good watchdog system will bring it home that a healthy diet is what we should
be focusing on." The NZFSA has responded via a letter to the editor of The
Press:
"Dear
Editor,
Your story ‘Nutritionist calls for NZ food watchdog system’ (14 Oct)
omits to mention two important facts. First, making health claims on food is
illegal and, secondly, watchdogs already exist. The New Zealand Food Safety Authority
and MedSafe act when misleading claims are identified. Where claims concern medical
or health benefits both agencies cooperate.
We encourage people to read food labels and have a free publication called ‘understanding
food labels’. We also encourage people who find what they consider to be incorrect,
illegal or misleading food labelling to make a complaint upon which we will act.
Readers can obtain a copy of the food labels booklet or make a complaint via
www.nzfsa.govt.nz or on 0800 693 721.
Geoff Allen, Director (Compliance and Investigation), New Zealand Food Safety
Authority."
 NZ
farming - no 'Food Inc.' (14 Oct 09)
Local food producers are asking for some perspective, on the eve of the NZ premiere
of
a
movie
that condemns some US. farming and food production practices. NZ Beef
+
Lamb
says that New
Zealand
consumers
should
be
comforted
by
the
fact the vast majority of our beef and lamb is from animals raised on pasture,
in
stark
contrast
to
farming
practices portrayed in Food, Inc..
The documentary, premiering tonight, and due for general release in New Zealand
cinemas on October 22, is reflective of the United States where farming practices
are
significantly
different
to our own.
Rod Slater, Chief Executive Officer of Beef + Lamb New Zealand,
says: “It is
important to keep this documentary in perspective. The New Zealand climate suits
natural pasture-based production rather than intensive farming.
“Our beef and lamb farming industry is also much more energy efficient and substantially
less reliant on fertilizers and pesticides.” Meanwhile Farmers Market New Zealand
sees
the movie as a promotional opportunity, and is hosting
fundraising screenings throughout the country, urging people to "show support
for
your
local
food producers and have a great night out at the same time."
 Nutritionist
calls for health claims watchdog (14 Oct 09)
Consumers are being told to be wary of health-product claims in the wake of a major European study.
Claims over the health benefits of probiotic bacteria, taurine-based energy drinks and glucosamine have been rejected by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The findings have prompted calls for the creation of a New Zealand watchdog to ensure consumers are not misled.
Canterbury public health nutritionist Bronwen King said the EFSA findings illustrated the need for greater vigilance.
"The general public is never adequately prepared against marketing expertise – they know how to push our buttons," she said.
"A good watchdog system will bring it home that a healthy diet is what we should be focusing on."
There had been a big increase in the foods claiming health benefits. Many were presented as a "magic bullet" formula
that people could take rather than maintaining a healthy diet, she said.
King said companies got around the law preventing direct
health claims by highlighting a product's contents and linking that with the
ingredient's general health benefits.
The EFSA review was prompted by a 2006 European Union law that all medical-sounding
marketing claims be verified.
Of the first 500 claims investigated, 350 were unproven.
Scientists looked at 180 strains of "probiotic" bacteria used in drinks and yoghurt, which were said to improve gut health or immunity.
Ten were rejected, while the others did not provide enough information to prove their claims.
Taurine – an amino acid added to energy and sports drinks such as Red Bull – was
not found to boost energy.
Claims that glucosamine and chondroitin were beneficial for joints were also
unproven.
Claims shown as true included the benefits of dietary fibre and fatty acids to
lower cholesterol, and sugar-free chewing gum for dental health.
More at The
Press.
'Energy'
shots pack too much punch (5 Oct 09)
New energy drink
vials that contain as much as six times the legal limit of caffeine
are
available
on Queensland shelves despite contravening food standards regulations.
Red Bull Energy Shots and V Pocket Rockets,
manufactured in New Zealand and sold in Queensland since August,
exploit a regulatory loophole by being
registered and labelled as dietary supplements.
John Piispanen, acting senior director of Queensland Environmental
Health, claims they are among 70 high energy
drinks outside the scope of standard food regulations.
"It appears that some drink manufacturers have exploited a regulatory loophole
by being registered as a dietary supplement, despite containing caffeine levels
in excess of those permitted under the Food Standards Code," said Mr Piispanen.
Since the 60 ml energy shot vials are not in tablet form they
also evade regulations under Australia's medical drugs regulator the Therapeutic
Goods
Administration
(TGA).
Under Food Standards Australia and New Zealand no 60 millilitre beverage should
contain more than 20 milligrams of caffeine. V Pocket Rockets pack 160 milligrams
of caffeine with one gulp.
The energy drink vials, under investigation by NSW health authorities, cannot
formally be deemed illegal and withdrawn from sale until they are deregistered
as dietary supplement.
The hands of Queensland Health are tied pending the investigation.
More at Brisbane
Times.
 Your
daily bread now contains iodine (28 Sep 09)
While industry and public opinion mean bakers don't have to add folic acid to bread for another few years, they have started adding iodine without any fuss.
Only organic and unleavened bread are excluded from using iodised salt.
Iodised salt is a widely used public health measure to help overcome a deficiency that can lead to brain damage. Experts have found the culinary trend of using natural sea salt and lower overall salt consumption has led to lower iodine intake.
Authorities say iodine deficiency is a global health concern and a re-emerging problem in New Zealand.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says iodine deficiency is the world’s greatest single cause of preventable brain damage and mental impairment. It also causes thyroid diseases, including once-common goitre, a large swelling on the neck from an enlarged thyroid gland.
The WHO says in 54 countries the intake of iodine is still too low.
The NZ Food Safety Authority, which will monitor and enforce the new food standard, says replacing non-iodised salt with iodised salt in bread is a simple, low-cost way of boosting the iodine levels in the national diet.
“It requires minimum effort and cost to bread manufacturers who already add salt,” says assistant director of production and processing Judy Barker.
New Zealand’s food sources lack sufficient iodine because it leaches easily from
the soil in the wet climate.
The authority says it is difficult for most consumers to obtain adequate iodine
from their normal diet without fortification.
More at National Business Review.
 Does
nutrition labelling promote healthier food choices? (28 Sep 09)
There is much debate about the best way to label food with nutrition information – on the front, on the back, with detailed nutritional analysis or simple health claims. But do any of these help New Zealanders make better food choices? Or are we in danger of increasing the amount of information given to shoppers, without giving practical help?
The European Food Information Council (EUFIC) in Brussels attempted to answer these questions by looking at the labels of thousands of food products and observing and talking to thousands of shoppers across 27 European countries. Dr
Josephine Wills, Director General of EUFIC, is visiting New Zealand to share these findings at this year’s New
Zealand Nutrition Foundation AGM in Auckland on 1st October.
”Our research shows consumers know quite a bit about the nutrition content of food” says Dr Wills, “but consumers tend to exaggerate what not to eat, rather than focusing on foods being good for them. Unfortunately, most people we observed and questioned did not look at the nutrition labels, with only around a quarter taking note of the nutritional information; this being directly linked to their level of interest in healthy eating. What’s needed is a way of motivating those not interested but who most often need the information to improve their health.”
Just as in New Zealand, a wide range of nutrition labelling systems is being used on food packaging across Europe. Whilst the major systems used in Europe were all equally able to help shoppers identify the healthier product, EUFIC’s research suggests those relating to guideline (recommended) daily amounts were used most, whereas colour-coded systems, such as the traffic lights pioneered in the UK, can be open to misinterpretation, with consumers not sure what the colours mean.
Local labelling experts, Jenny Reid from the New Zealand Food Safety Authority and Dean Stockwell from Food Standards Australia New Zealand, will also be giving an update on the New Zealand situation at the Foundation’s
AGM, ensuring continued debate on this vexing dilemma.
Dr Jo Wills qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in London in 1981, gaining
a PhD five years later. After postdoctoral research at the University of Manchester
Medical School, she joined Mars, Incorporated where she worked in science, communication
and regulatory roles for 18 years, latterly as European Head of Scientific and
Regulatory Affairs for all product categories. In January 2006, Dr Wills was
appointed Director General of the European Food Information Council, based in
Brussels. Dr Wills has published over 80 scientific papers, edited four books
and lectured extensively worldwide.
New
Food Bill to replace outdated Food Act 1981 (22 Sep 09)
The Government will undertake a complete overhaul of the Food Act 1981 to make it more relevant to New Zealand businesses and consumers, Minister for Food Safety Kate
Wilkinson announced today.
“The Food Act is outdated and our current regulatory system is ineffective and inefficient. As a consequence it imposes unnecessary compliance costs and doesn’t do enough to protect consumers and reduce food-borne illness,” Ms Wilkinson says. “The new Food Bill has been developed over the past two years and it will be revised to improve business certainty and reduce compliance costs.
“It will also be aligned with the New Zealand Standard platform, which provides the basis for our food exports.
“Moving to a risk-based system that offers greater protection for consumers will help address gaps in the law as well as duplication.”
The new Food Bill is expected to be introduced to Parliament within the next year and be in place by late 2010 or early 2011.
Proposed changes include:
- providing for a national restaurant grading system;
- provision of an enhanced imported food regime;
- mandated risk based tools and a shift in onus of responsibility from Government to food business operators;
- clarification of the New Zealand Standard for all food sold within, and exported from, New Zealand;
- replacement of the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974; and
- improvement of penalty provisions.
The food sector has an estimated annual turnover of $22 billion and employs more than 20 percent of working New Zealanders.
Food accounts for exports of $18 billion and this is expected to continue to grow over the next 10 years with the support of a new Act.
A copy of the Cabinet paper can be found at www.nzfsa.govt.nz/policy-law/projects/domestic-food-review/.
Greenpeace
defiant over palm oil protest (18 Sep 09)
Fonterra has deflected a high-profile protest over its palm kernel
imports, but Greenpeace says growing local and international discontent
with
the palm oil industry will force it into a turnaround.
The ship East Ambition began unloading its cargo of Indonesian palm
kernel animal feed yesterday after protesters had been cut free from the ship's
cranes, arrested, and bailed.
Greenpeace New Zealand said several maize and grain farmers had offered donations
and support for the protest, saying their product had been undercut
by cheap imports.
Greenpeace supporters wore orang-utan and tiger costumes in their protest, drawing
attention to the lost habitat of endangered species as a result of the deforestation
caused by the palm oil industry.
John Lea, chief executive of Fonterra's rural merchandising wing RD1, said considerable
effort had been made to ensure the feed brought to New Zealand did not destroy
rainforests.
But a recent World Wildlife Fund report showed that Wilmar, the company RD1 sourced
its PKE from, owned 81,000 hectares of palm oil plantations on former rainforest
land. Climate campaigner Simon Boxer said Fonterra would be internationally embarrassed
if it continued to source the product.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Foodstuffs
bins booze-branded wine gums (16 Sep 09)
Grocery giant Foodstuffs has removed alcohol-labelled wine-gums amid concerns
about the sweet's influence on children.
Invercargill Pak'N Save bulk bins had stocked a wine-gum sweet
branded with the names of alcoholic drinks.
They include vodka, rum and port, and come in many bright colours.
Alcohol Advisory Council (Alac) chief executive officer Gerard Vaughan was not
sure how appropriate it was to brand lollies with the names of alcohol products.
"What is the point? Are they trying to set up a connection between children and
alcohol?" he said.
Mr Vaughan planned to ask Pak'N Save owner Foodstuffs if it thought it was socially
responsible to sell the sweets in light of New Zealand's problems with underage
drinking.
Additionally, the Advertising Standards Authority has broadened its code of advertising
to cover a broader range of alcohol promotions and advertising. "It would be
interesting to see if this meets the threshold in the new code," Mr
Vaughan said.
Foodstuffs South Island retail operations general manager Alan Malcolmson said: "Now
that this has been pointed out to us, we will drop the names on these particular
products,"
Mr Malcolmson said in a statement. He said the sweets did not contain alcohol
and they didn't taste like rum, whisky or gin, or any other of the named brands.
More at The
Southland Times.
 Water
footprint - the new green measure (15 Sep 09)
Consumers will be able to gauge the water "footprint" of products under a labelling
move experts believe will benefit New Zealand.
Following on from carbon footprints and food miles, moves are
under way to include information on labels measuring the volume of water used
in
the life cycle of a
product or service.
United Nations' cultural agency Unesco says it takes a global average of 200
litres of water to produce a 200 millilitre glass of milk, while a glass of wine
takes 120 litres and a hamburger 2400 litres.
A Unesco report says it takes five times the amount of water to produce an Australian
kiwifruit as it does to produce a New Zealand kiwifruit.
A Royal Society of New Zealand discussion paper, released yesterday, said water
sustainability issues were "unavoidable".
The International Organisation for Standardisation is developing a water-footprint
protocol, which New Zealand companies like kiwifruit marketer Zespri and dairy
giant Fonterra are already considering.
Zespri innovation leader Alistair Mowat said retailers had not requested water-use
information, but retailers and grocery chains in the United States and Europe
were developing policies.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Raw
milk cheeses get the green light (3 Sep 09)
Cheesemakers will be allowed to craft a range of raw or unpasteurised
milk products for sale in domestic and international markets under
new
standards
to be introduced in October, says Minister for Food Safety Kate
Wilkinson.
Previously, only a small range of raw milk cheeses have been allowed to be imported
into New Zealand, but could not be made here.
“This is about levelling the playing field and recognising we have some incredibly
passionate cheesemakers in New Zealand who could produce raw milk cheeses to
rival the best in Europe,” Ms Wilkinson says.
“The changes mean a greater variety of cheeses will be available for food lovers
here, while also opening up business opportunities for the dairy industry.
“It makes sense that our own industry should be able to make the products that
we allow to be imported.
“All raw milk products, made here or brought in, will need to meet the required
food safety standards before they can be sold to the public.”
The level of bacteria in cheeses made from raw milk means they are not suitable
for at-risk people such as pregnant women, young children and the elderly
.
 Northcote
shop owner takes on might of Coca-Cola (31 Aug 09)
An Auckland man is taking on soft drink giant Coca-Cola Amatil after he was struck
in the eye by an exploding fruit juice bottle.
Chinese immi grant Ming Fu Hu, who runs a drink bar in Northcote, was injured
in the eye by an exploding bottle of Keri orange juice,
which had fermented.
Mr Hu told NZPA still could not see very well and would probably not recover
his full vision. The injury had cost him about $5000 and the Accident
Compensation Corporation had only covered part of the cost of treatment.
Coca-Cola confirmed to him the 2.4 litre bottle of Keri juice was fermented.
As a gesture of goodwill it offered him a case of Keri orange juice
and grocery vouchers to the value of $200.
However, in a subsequent letter Coca-Cola's lawyers said the company had no liability
to Mr Hu, there was no issue of public safety arising from these
circumstances and "CCA now considers this matter at an end".
Mr Hu's family lawyer, Richard Zhao, said the public should be aware of the dangers
of exploding bottles and what thus far appeared to be Coca-Cola's "unfortunate
corporate stance".
Another lawyer, Frank Deliu, said Mr Hu was exploring all legal options, including
filing civil actions against Coca-Cola that were not barred by ACC legislation.
"It is not acceptable that Coca-Cola's attitude is that it can remedy the problem
by offering this man more of the very same product that injured him."
Coca-Cola corporate affairs manager Aimee Driscoll said the juice bottle that
injured Mr Hu was well within its use-by date but had fermented. All control
samples of the same product batch were in perfect condition.
There was no issue of public safety as exploding juice bottles were very rare.
It was the first time it had happened in her five years with the company, she
said.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Govt
defers introduction of folic acid to bread (28 Aug 09)
The Government's decision to defer the fortification of bread with folic acid
has been met with mixed reaction - much like the fortification itself.
Mandatory fortification would be deferred until May 2012, Food Safety Minister Kate
Wilkinson said yesterday.
The Government and bakers were now likely to focus on introducing a voluntary
range of fortified breads.
The deferral was the "best way forward", Ms Wilkinson said.
"I agree with public health advocates that folic acid is beneficial to the health
of women and can prevent neural tube defects, but I also understand consumers
overwhelmingly want to be able to choose whether or not the bread they buy is
fortified."
Folic acid has been shown to reduce the risk of babies being born with defects
such as spina bifida, but bakers say women would need to eat at least 11 slices
of bread a day to make a difference to the health of their unborn child.
The former Labour government had ruled that folic acid should be added to all
bread under a mandatory order starting this year as part of a trans-Tasman food
standard agreement.
Labour health spokeswoman Ruth Dyson said that eight years ago politicians
asked bakers to voluntarily fortify bread and they asked for mandatory fortification
rules.
Voluntarily fortified bread was likely to be too expensive for many women who
need it, she said.
The Green Party said the deferral would allow time for research into whether
the fortification was safe.
The Food and Grocery Council also supported the deferral, saying a voluntary
programme can target women of child bearing age without posing health risks to
others.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Cadbury
commits to Fairtrade Dairy Milk (27 Aug 09)
Equality campaigners are hailing the decision by Cadbury to have its Dairy Milk chocolate brand sold under the Fairtrade logo in New Zealand and Australia by next Easter.
The move comes as part of Cadbury's international commitment to Fairtrade, which secures fair minimum prices for developing market commodity producers, and is used on a range of products such as coffee and chocolate.
Certification and labelling allows buyers to recognise and choose products that meet international Fairtrade standards.
In March, Cadbury in Britain announced plans for all Dairy Milk in Britain and Ireland to be sold under the Fairtrade logo by the end of its 2009 summer.
Fairtrade executive director Steve Knapp said Cadbury New Zealand's commitment to the movement was a landmark step.
"Cadbury's commitment to Fairtrade is life-changing news for cocoa farmers who will be able to sell more of their cocoa as Fairtrade, helping to improve living standards and create a better future for their families and communities," Mr Knapp said.
"This announcement sets a new standard for the mainstream chocolate industry in New Zealand and will open up new Fairtrade opportunities for cocoa farmers in our corner of the world."
Cadbury New Zealand's managing director Matthew Oldham said
the company was proud
to be bringing the Fairtrade mark to its signature chocolate.
He said the change would come with no extra cost to buyers, and no change to
the chocolate.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
Baking industry will voluntarily fortify with folate (25
Aug 09)
The baking industry will move toward voluntarily fortifying a wider range of breads with folic acid, and supports a targeted marketing campaign for pregnant women, Association of Bakers president Laurie
Powell says.
The industry held a summit on the issue of fortification today, ahead of the
Government's expected announcement on Thursday that it will delay a requirement
for bakers to add folic acid to bread.
The previous government had signed a trans-Tasman food standard agreement for
the mandatory addition of folic acid to all bread.
But following consultation with the public and the baking industry, the current
Government made it clear it preferred a three-year deferral of the agreement.
Folic acid has been shown to reduce the risk of babies being born with defects
such as spina bifida, but bakers say women would need to eat at least 11 slices
of bread a day to make a difference to the health of their unborn child.
Representatives from 90 percent of the baking industry attended the summit in
Wellington today, and there was unanimous support for a movement towards the
voluntary fortification of a wider range of breads targeted at women of childbearing
age.
There was also unanimous support for a marketing campaign to raise awareness
of the importance of optimum folate levels for pregnant women.
Mr Powell said the industry would develop a draft plan and engage with officials
and the pro-fortification lobby to seek their input.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Energy
shots - 'dietary supplements' loophole to be plugged (20 Aug 09)
NZFSA is developing a new standard for food-type products sold under the Dietary
Supplements Regulations.
The announcement comes after a Heretaunga College pupil collapsed last week after
drinking
several high-powered
Demon shots on an empty stomach before going
to school. According to the NZFSA, 'energy shots' are small
volume liquid products
containing
caffeine,
vitamins
and
other bio-active substances (including taurine, guarana, glucuronolactone).
The main active ingredient in energy shots is caffeine, which has a stimulant
effect.
Most energy shot products contain around 200 mg of caffeine in a 60 ml product.
This is about the same amount of caffeine contained in two strong cups of coffee.
Most energy drinks are sold under the Australia New Zealand Food Standard Code.
The maximum amount of caffeine allowed by the Food Standard Code, for example
in a 500 ml can
of a regular energy drink, is 160 mg.
Under the Food Standard Code, energy drinks must carry advisory statements on
the packaging to the effect that the product contains caffeine and is not recommended
for children,
lactating women or individuals sensitive to caffeine. The level of caffeine must
also be stated on the label.
Energy shots are being sold in New Zealand as ‘dietary supplements’ under the
Dietary Supplements Regulations 1985. The Dietary Supplements Regulations have
no specific requirements about added caffeine levels or labelling. However, most
suppliers of energy shots include the advisory statements required by the Code
on energy drinks.
The proposed new standard will require products containing caffeine to carry
the
same advisory statements as are required by the Food Standard Code.
The Food Act does not provide for restrictions to be placed on the age at which
a person can buy a product sold under the Act. If an individual believes that
the marketing of ‘energy shot’ products is inappropriate, they can lodge a complaint
with the Advertising
Standards Authority.
School
pupil collapse spurs energy drinks warnings (19 Aug 09)
Demon Energy, the company which distributes the high-powered energy drinks NOS
and Demon shots, is considering upgrading warnings on its bottles
after a 15-year-old girl collapsed at school and needed to be treated by paramedics.
The Heretaunga College pupil collapsed last week after drinking several high-powered
shots on an empty stomach before going to school. Paramedics wanted to take the
girl to hospital, but her mother refused and instead took her to a GP. The Food
Safety Authority has stepped in and warned the company that it is keeping a close
eye on the situation, especially if the drinks classed as dietary supplements
were being marketed at children. Its comments came as the New South Wales Government
called for energy drinks to be banned. A consumer group, Australia Consumers
Association, also wants the drinks banned from sale to those aged under 16. It
also wanted them removed from vending machines and school canteens. The drinks
contain more than twice the amount of caffeine of an average cup of coffee. People
are warned not to drink them if they want to sleep within six hours, and told
that the drinks can increase heart rates. Food Safety Authority spokesperson
Geoff Allen said though the drinks were not illegal, he would be concerned if
they were being targeted at people aged under
18.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Cadbury
to drop palm oil (18 Aug 09)
Cadbury is to get rid of palm oil from its chocolates after a public
outcry.
The firm started using palm oil recently as part of a cost-cutting exercise which
also saw the 150g and 250g bars shed about 20 per cent of their
weight.
Environmentalists called for a boycott over concerns palm oil production damaged
rainforests. Auckland Zoo pulled Cadbury's products from its shelves
because diminishing rainforests threatened orang-utans and Green
MP Sue Kedgley urged shoppers to send a message through their selection.
Cadbury New Zealand managing director Matthew Oldham said the
decision to bring back the old recipe was a direct response to consumer feedback.
Cadbury had purchased only certified sustainable palm oil, but regardless, the
public had spoken, he said.
Production of the cocoa-butter-only chocolate will resume in a few weeks.
Cadbury said the price would not be affected by the move.
"The most important thing we can all do for orang-utans and the South East Asian
rainforest eco-system is to stop consuming palm oil," said
Auckland Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken.
"Auckland Zoo will be proud to reinstate Cadbury's palm oil-free chocolate at
its zoo outlets as soon as it becomes available."
More at NZ
Herald.
 Canadian
pork support ‘subsidies in drag’ (17 Aug 09)
The Canadian government’s $100 million support for their ailing pork industry is essentially subsidies in drag New Zealand Pork said today.
“The Canadian government announced its support package over the weekend which will mean cheap subsidised pork will make its way to New Zealand undermining our local industry,” said New Zealand Pork Chief Executive Sam
McIvor.
“And we’re not talking about small amounts. New Zealand already imports 200,000 kg of Canadian pork a week – pork that can be produced using growth hormones and other standards of production – including animal welfare controls – that are not up to New Zealand standards,” said Mr McIvor.
“All that the support package will mean is that more of this imported pork will end up in bacon, ham and small goods in the shops and on the menus in restaurants – with most New Zealand consumers none the wiser,” he said.
The key, said Mr McIvor, is in the labelling.
“Consumers have said they want to buy New Zealand grown product so it’s time that retailers and processors clearly identified that product so that consumers can choose.”
“New Zealand Pork provides free “100% New Zealand” pork, bacon and ham labels for New Zealand grown products so there’s no excuse,” said Mr McIvor.
While we’re asking consumers to buy New Zealand grown product, Government also has a role to play.
“We’re being asked to step well beyond the welfare standards in Canada – and other countries –but their products continue to flow in here without challenge. It’s the local producer who’s paying the price for being welfare-minded and using sustainable, hormone free production methods when Canadian producers are not.”
“Then there is the potential reduction in biosecurity standards for pork being proposed by Government which should stop simply because of the increase in risk of the introduction of crippling exotic diseases.”
Getting behind the local industry, said Mr McIvor, made economic sense too.
“For every $1 paid to a New Zealand pig farmer another $1.97 goes to the local economy. But a dollar of imported pork only contributes another 78 cents to the local economy.
“It is simply a no brainer to support our local industry,” said McIvor.
Supermarkets prefer alcohol tax rise to minimum prices (3
Aug 09)
Supermarkets would prefer increased taxes on alcohol to imposition of minimum prices to try to stop discounting.
A Law Commission report last week recommended both raising taxes and investigating a minimum price scheme.
Alcohol Advisory Council chief executive Gerard Vaughan said a minimum price scheme appealed most because it would target the biggest problem - heavily discounted liquor sold mainly by supermarkets.
"That's where you see these extremes, like a dozen beer for $8.99, wine for $5 and two-for-one deals," he said. "In some modelling work, you wouldn't be able to buy the real cheap stuff, but you'd still be able to buy the $10 bottle of wine."
But Foodstuffs NZ executive manager Melissa Hodd said supermarkets would prefer the raising of tax levels on alcohol.
"Minimum pricing has been floated in recent months as part of the Law Commission review. It's not a policy there is a lot of international experience with."
Ms Hodd said minimum prices had been implemented only in some Canadian provinces,
where alcohol was a state monopoly.
But the Law Commission report points to a Scottish Government proposal expected
to be finalised before the commission's final report next year.
More at NZ
Herald.
 GM
crops could cut methane, boost nutrition (3 Aug 09)
AgResearch has genetically modified forage crops which scientists say can reduce
methane emissions from livestock.
Scientists have estimated the economy could benefit by $300 million from three
traits they have isolated in laboratory tests of forage crops by genetic modification
(GM).
Dr Chris Jones, the section manager of forage biotechnology with Grasslanz Technology
at Palmerston North, said that the technology would result in more efficient
nitrogen cycling, meaning less nitrous oxide and ammonia being expelled, while
modifying lipids resulted in less methane emissions. The traits could only
be created using GM technology and the assumptions discovered in the laboratory
were significant, he said, but they had to be.
"If you don't deliver a step change, there is no point in doing it because of
the cost of the science and the regulatory environment."
The intention was to deliver the technology through conventional ryegrass and
clover pastures, but Dr Jones said scientists needed the support of farmers to
take the technology to field trials.
AgResearch chief executive Andy West said the feed could make meat and milk
even healthier for humans by altering the ratio of fatty acids, reduce the environmental
impact of farming and make
farmers and therefore the country wealthier.
More at Otago
Daily Times.
Liquor
law proposals not 'return to wowserism' (30 Jul 09)
Low alcohol products will be cheaper and liquor licences harder to get, if changes
to liquor laws floated today by the Law Commission go ahead.
The commission was last year given the job by the Government of reviewing the
Sale of Liquor Act.
It considered the contribution of excessive use of alcohol to law and order problems,
serious health and injury, and other social harms.
Announcing options the public have three months to make submissions on, commission
president Sir
Geoffrey Palmer said it was time to "curb the harm" alcohol caused.
"The Law Commission is not proposing a return to wowserism, but the preliminary
evidence suggests the time has come to review the policy settings, to reduce
the excesses and curb the harm."
That view was supported by judges, medical specialists and police, Sir Geoffrey
said.
Justice Minister Simon Power said the report raises issues for discussion and
debate, and described it as "wide-ranging".
He said he has asked the commission to deliver a final report by March next year
so legislation changes can be made by the end of 2010.
"I urge the public to take time to read the proposals over the next three months,
and I look forward to the responses to them".
More at NZ
Herald.
Pork
production systems to be revealed on labels (23 Jul 09)
New Zealand’s billion dollar pork industry has vowed to prove consumers can have
confidence in its farming practices by telling them how the products are grown.
Pig farmers faced a storm of controversy this year following media coverage of
pigs growing in sow crates – small cages that restrict their movement.
But now, the industry has revealed a plan that will inform consumers how the
product they are considering buying was produced.
New Zealand Pork chief executive Sam McIvor said
that confidence is vital to ensure the continued success of the New Zealand pork
industry.
At the industry’s annual conference this week agriculture minister David Carter
said that pig farmers should treat animal welfare issues as an opportunity or
a challenge.
This came after the industry was hit with a wave of negative publicity after
a report on TVNZ’s Sunday programme
earlier this year, which featured former pork industry promoter, comedian Mike
King, breaking into a pig farm and revealing animals contained in sow crates.
Since then, Mr McIvor announced the new regime, which would see retailers and
wholesalers provided with information about the farming system the pork was sourced
from with links to further explanations.
“Providing accurate descriptions of farming systems for the market place to use
will allow consumer to purchase with confidence, in the knowledge these descriptors
accurately reflect the farming practices used in New Zealand,” he said.
It will probably be a combination of wording with details of the farming system
used
to grow the product.
This would be alongside the 100% New Zealand pork label already used by the industry
to provide a point of difference with imported pork products.
More at National
Business Review.
 Juice
found not to contain fruit yanked from market (20 Jul 09)
A boutique juice distributor has agreed to recall all their products after a
Commerce Commission investigation found “little or no traces of fruit of any
kind” in at least two of the company’s products.
The company Armenian Imports, trading as Super
Juice, distributes four ‘100% pure’ juices throughout New Zealand under the
brand name Yan: pomegranate, peach, apricot, and blackcurrant,
to 36 outlets throughout New Zealand.
The New World and Pak ‘n Save supermarket chains are the largest retailers selling
Yan products.
The Commerce Commission has been testing its
juices branded as 100% blackcurrant juice, 100% peach juice and 100% pomegranate
juice.
All three had labels claiming that they contained no added sugar; no preservatives;
no artificial flavours; no artificial colourings; and no artificial sweeteners.
But testing at an independent laboratory showed the products that claimed to
be 100% blackcurrant juice and 100% peach juice contained little or no traces
of fruit of any kind, let alone the fruit that was claimed on the labels.
Testing on the ‘100% pomegranate juice’ showed that while it contained some pomegranate,
it was unlikely to be 100% pure pomegranate juice.
The test report also queried whether the vitamin C claims on the labels were
correct.
The distributor has agreed to recall all their products and has been cooperating
with the Commission’s investigation.
More at National
Business Review.
Folic
acid decision deferred for three years (19 Jul 09)
Bread is likely to remain folic-acid free for at least three years after the
Government deferred a decision on whether to force bakers to add it to their
mix.
It was looking at making the change mandatory from September, as part of its
obligations under a joint New Zealand-Australia food standard which the previous
Labour government signed up to.
However, Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson this week reached an agreement with
Australian counterpart Mark Butler that exempted New Zealand from the trans-Tasman
standard.
Cabinet will tomorrow consider the issue but is expected to defer the decision
on introducing it until May 2012.
A spokesman for the minister told NZPA public consultation was likely to run "for
a few weeks", with a decision having to be made by the end of the August.
If the three-year deferral emerged as the preferred option, the time would be
used "to fully assess the merits, or otherwise, of the debate", Prime Minister
John Key told TVNZ's Q+A programme.
Under the trans-Tasman agreement, folic acid was to be mandatory in all wheat
flour products, including sweet breads and rolls, bagels, foccacia, English muffins
and flat breads that contain yeast.
The only exceptions were to be organic and non-yeast leavened breads.
More at NZ
Herald.
Minister not keen on bread plan (8 Jul 09)
While bakers and the Food Safety Minister remain unconvinced about the "mass
medication" of New Zealanders with folic acid in bread from September, the Opposition
welcomes it.
The move is part of a joint New Zealand-Australia food standard agreed by the
previous government but which Food Safety Minister Kate
Wilkinson says she is "not a fan of".
It will result in folic acid being added to all bread - except organic varieties
- in an effort to reduce serious neural tube defects, such as spina bifida and
hydrocephalus, in babies.
Supporters say it will reduce cases by up to 14 a year but New Zealand Bakers
Association president Laurie Powell argues the difference will be one to three.
Women would need to eat 11 slices of bread a day to get their recommended dose
of folic acid - which Mr Powell believes they are unlikely to do.
Labour Health spokeswoman Ruth Dyson said the former Labour government considered "a
great deal of information" before
making the joint decision with Australia, she said.
"Folate occurs naturally in grains but is extracted during the bread making process.
Folate fortification simply puts it back.
"While fortification alone will not be enough to provide the recommended daily
dose of folate for pregnant women, it will make a difference."
Ms Wilkinson told NZPA the situation was "a mess that we've inherited from Labour".
"The benefits of folic acid I think are well-known but I am concerned about the
risks and I'd have to be convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks."
Some scientific research linked too much folic acid to cancer, she said.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 MAF
investigation clears piggery (2 Jul 09)
An investigation by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) into the operations
of a Levin piggery has concluded, with MAF determining no breaches of the current
Code of Welfare for Pigs, issued pursuant to section 75 of the Animal Welfare
Act.
The pig farm investigated was at the centre of a recent report by TVNZ’s “Sunday” programme.
As Warranted Inspectors under the Animal Welfare Act (1999), MAF's role is to
investigate for any possible offences and ensure that if any unreasonable or
unnecessary pain or distress is being suffered by animals on the farm, they prevent
or mitigate it by ensuring appropriate steps such as veterinary treatment and
husbandry practices are carried out.
The Code of Welfare for Pigs, issued in 2005, is currently under review by the
National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC). The full MAF report can be
read here: http://www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/press/2009/piggery-investigation-report.pdf.
 Govt
rules out further milk safety probe (2 Jul 09)
The Government will not go ahead with a plan to convene a group of experts to
discuss
the
safety
of
A2
milk,
relative to "ordinary" A1 milk.
Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson said that a European Food Safety Authority
(EFSA) review of the science of different milks was "definitive".
"There was no need for a risk assessment," said Wilkinson.
The European review canvassed claims that milk containing A2 beta casein is less
likely to cause health problems than the usual milk containing the A1 form of
the casein, but concluded that both types of milk were safe to drink.
A1 milk - the form found in ordinary milk in many western countries - is high
in the protein beta-casein A1, which contains the peptide or protein fragment
beta-casomophin-7 (BCM7), which some studies have linked with diabetes, heart
disease, autism and milk intolerance.
The EFSA concluded that a formal risk assessment was not needed.
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) initially planned to do the A1/A2
review itself before that task was taken on by its much bigger European counterpart.
The NZFSA said in 2004 that both A1 and A2 milk were important foods and safe
for most, other than consumers allergic to lactose. The debate first stirred
New Zealand's mainstream dairy industry over a decade ago when diabetes researcher
Bob Elliott argued A1 beta casein in milk could be triggering type-1 diabetes
in children. He later also said population studies implicated the A1 protein
in some countries' relatively high death rates from heart disease.
More at NZ
Herald.
Read the full EFSA review: Review
of the potential
health impact of ß-casomorphins and related peptides.
 War
and Peas (2 Jul 09)
Australian pea growers are under a
marketing attack from their New Zealand competitors.
News of the hostilities broke in Tasmania, which grows 90 per cent of the national
crop, with a newspaper banner headline declaring War and Peas.
Tasmanian pea growers are doing it tough, beset by drought, cheaper Kiwi peas
and local vegetable processor Simplot slicing contracts by up to
50 per cent this season.
Pea tonnages have almost halved in Tasmania since 2000.
So when a large billboard appeared in a Hobart shopping mall advertising "pure" New
Zealand peas, local farmers were pee-ed off.
Pea grower spokesman Justin Nichols said he was shocked by the sign advocating
New Zealand-grown peas.
A New Zealand pea grower's name is printed in large letters across a photo of
giant green peas in the poster image.
"We need to get some alternative signage up straight away," Mr Nicholls told
this week's edition of Tasmanian Country.
Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association Simplot peas chairman Bruce Goss said
growers feared vegetable processor McCains planned to cut production in Tasmania
and go to New Zealand.
Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research director David McNeil says the farmers
should follow New Zealand's marketing lead.
The sign says the New Zealand peas are grown for a processor by a New Zealand
farmer in New Zealand and they don't just come from the supermarket shelf.
"My biggest concern is that New Zealand does these things very well," Mr Nichols
said.
More at www.smh.com.au.
NZ
apple ban costs $20m a year, says grower (1 Jul 09)
Australia's refusal to allow New Zealand apples across its border is costing New Zealand's pipfruit industry $20 million a year, an industry leader says.
"We don't have access so we don't know how much trade there will be, but we think it could be as much as $20 million a year, perhaps more," Pipfruit NZ chief executive Peter
Beaven told Radio New Zealand yesterday.
Mr Beaven was in Geneva, where he has gone to present evidence to the World Trade
Organisation that the Australian protocols for New Zealand imports are too strict.
The 88-year battle over fair access to Australian markets for New Zealand apple
exporters has come to a head this week, with lawyers and scientists representing
New Zealand before a four-strong panel in Geneva.
Australia has relied on a perceived risk of the bacterial disease fireblight
to provide a non-tariff trade barrier to a transtasman apple trade. New Zealand
growers and scientists have shown the clean, mature fruit is unlikely to carry
the disease. The WTO, dealing with the same issue between Japan and the United
States, ruled that fireblight was not transmitted by mature fruit.
In 2006 Australia provided import protocols, but their rules were so strict that
New Zealand growers said they blocked profitable exports.
In 2007, New Zealand asked the WTO to investigate whether Australia's apple ban
was legal under international commercial law. Yesterday's hearing is the last
major step and the WTO panel is expected to deliver its decision in January.
More at NZ
Herald.
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