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 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.
 New
tax penalises spirits drinkers (30 Jun 09)
Alcoholic beverages will cost more tomorrow (1 July 2009) when the Government imposes at least a 2.8 per cent increase in the excise duty on all spirits.
The excise tax on a standard one litre bottle of spirits (37 per cent alcohol by volume) will rise by 48 cents, from $16.68 to $17.16.
The Chief Executive of the Distilled Spirits Association Thomas Chin says bars, restaurants and retail sales outlets will have no option but to pass on the increase in tax through higher prices to customers.
“This increase comes at a time when consumers can ill afford further price increases as they struggle with the effects of the recession. The hospitality trade is also under pressure,” Mr Chin says.
“Tax increases are particularly short sighted at this time as they contribute to a further decline in sales, job losses across the hospitality, entertainment and beverage industries and a negative impact on the Government’s coffers.
“If the Government is committed to helping business pull through the recession it will avoid this dangerous ‘tax’em while they are down’ approach and stay the increase in the interests of maintaining employment and enterprise.
“It’s cold and there’s not much economic cheer around. Consumers need a break and the Government has an opportunity to deliver some relief for all those who enjoy the warmth a nip of spirits can bring,” Mr Chin says.
New
faces on FSANZ board (26 Jun 09)
There are four new faces on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Board (FSANZ),
the independent statutory agency that develops food standards and joint
codes of practice with industry for the content and labelling of food sold
in Australia and New Zealand.
Jenni Mack, Dr James Murray, Dr David Roberts and Associate Professor
Winsome Parnell are new appointments to the board.
Mack represents consumers on several government and non-government boards, and
chairs Australian consumer organisation, Choice.
Dr James Murray has expertise, both nationally and internationally, in diseases
transferred from animals to humans, veterinary public health and on-farm food
safety as well as his experience in the prevention, management and control
of emerging infectious diseases.
Dr David Roberts has extensive experience in food policy and regulation. He has
worked with both government and non-government organisations on food policy
and regulatory matters, as well as food processing and standards setting.
Associate Professor Winsome Parnell has been appointed for a period of two years
as a representative of the New Zealand Government. She is an Associate Professor
at the Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, New Zealand, and
is currently the Nutrition Director for the 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition
Survey.
Professor Katrine Baghurst, Dr Michele Allan and Peter Boyden have been reappointed
for four years.
Retiring board members are Dr John Craven, Peter Milne, Dr Pamela Williams and
Ms Hikihiki Pihema.
More at FOODweek
Online.
 WTO
to hear apple case next week (26 Jun 09)
A long-running Trans-Tasman stoush over Kiwi apple exports getting fair access
to Australia will be aired at the World Trade Organisation HQ
next week.
A small team of legal experts and scientists will take on their Australian counterparts
before a four-strong panel in Geneva from Tuesday, and the head of Pipfruit
New Zealand is confident of a positive result.
Australia has not allowed New Zealand apples into the country since 1921, claiming
there is a risk they will bring the diseases fireblight and European canker.
New Zealand growers and scientists maintain there is no risk if the fruit is
mature.
In 2003 the WTO - dealing with the same issue between Japan and the United States
- ruled that fireblight was not transmitted by mature fruit.
Growers say access to the Australian markets would boost earnings by more than
$20 million.
In 2006 Australia enforced restrictive import rules, allowing apples in under
strict conditions - which New Zealand growers found too costly to comply with
and questioned the scientific justification.
In 2007, New Zealand asked the WTO to investigate whether Australia's apple ban
was legal under international commercial law. There have been written submissions
from both sides and an oral hearing last year, but next week's final oral hearing
will be the ultimate step, with a decision expected in January.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Manufacturers
group backing mandatory COOL food labels (25 Jun 09)
Voluntary country of origin labelling on food is of little benefit to consumers who have to guess where products come from, the New
Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA) says.
NZMEA chief executive John Walley said a consistent standard of food labelling would help consumers "make informed decisions and help enhance the `Made in New Zealand' brand".
"Under the current system consumers are left to guess where products have come from," he said.
Parliament's health committee considered a 39,000-signature petition presented by the Green Party last year calling for mandatory food labelling.
The committee decided mandatory labelling might impact on trade and restrict consumer choice.
In 2005 the Government decided against a proposed joint standard for labelling with Australia over concerns it would hurt trading relationships and be costly.
Both the United States and European Union have mandatory country of origin labelling.
More at IndustrySearch.com.au.
 Meat
industry urged to address ongoing issues (25 June 09)
The Meat and Wool New Zealand industry board -- which has a significant number
of directors appointed by meat companies -- says it's pleased agriculture
officials have not dictated a "plan of action" for the meat sector.
"Farmers and industry, not Government, are best placed to make commercial decisions
about their future," Meat and Wool NZ chairman Mike Petersen said.
He was welcoming publication of Meat: The Future a 90 page report in which the
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry yesterday identified challenged facing the
meat sector, and called for debate on its future.
The foresight report provided an analysis of the sector and looked ahead 10 to
15 years, laying out scenarios for how it may be shaped in 2023.
Mr Petersen said it was "vital" that the industry was repositioned to take advantage
of trends toward high quality natural products, rising protein prices, growth
in developing nations and declining global sheep numbers.
But he conceded that as a sector, "the meat industry has not successfully addressed
recurring problems and put in place better planning for the future". The MAF
officials said in the report that poor performance by the meat industry may be
to blame for the low profitability of sheep and beef farming - in addition to
drought, fluctuating commodity prices and a high exchange rate.
"Many people also believe that the industry has been systemically underperforming," MAF
said.
But Meat Industry Association chief executive Tim Ritchie, representing meat
companies, rejected suggestions the sector was "broken".
More at National
Business Review.
Industry
monitoring delivers effective advertising compliance says DSA (18 Jun
09)
The “enforced self regulation” of liquor advertising proposed by the Sale of
Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill will be complex, costly and inferior to the
existing system, the Distilled Spirits Association says.
In its submission to the Justice and Electoral Select Committee yesterday, the
association said the current industry self-regulation of liquor advertising has
been reviewed
extensively and been found to be effective by at least six separate and independent
bodies.
“The proponents of the current legislation have failed to demonstrate that the
provisions in the Bill will stop the abuse of alcohol by a small minority of
individuals,” says Thomas Chin, Chief Executive of the Distilled Spirits Association.
The Distilled Spirits Association represents leading brand owners, manufacturers
and distributors of distilled spirits in New Zealand.
Mr Chin says voluntary industry self-regulation provides appropriate redress
for consumers and is consistent with Government policy. It works quickly, is
low cost and effective. There is a robust complaints and adjudication process
and a powerful set of tools for securing compliance. An enforced self-regulatory
system is unnecessary.”
Mr Chin says there is a widespread misunderstanding about the purpose of most
liquor advertising.
“The objective is not to increase the overall level of alcohol consumption but
to persuade existing consumers to switch brands. The more powerful factors determining
an individual’s consumption are peer pressure, the role modeling of the family
environment and the wider culture swaying young people’s drinking patterns.
“Targeting these areas, instead of tinkering with the rules for alcohol brand
advertising and its administration, would significantly help minimise the problem
of alcohol abuse and harm.”
Mr Chin says he is confident that the Government is well aware of the efficiency
of the current self regulatory system.
“When the matter was last reviewed by Parliament, in 2006, the National members
of the Select Committee, including the current chairman of the Justice and Electoral
Select Committee, prepared a minority report that supported industry self regulation
of liquor advertising. No new evidence has been presented to demonstrate that
a new regime is required.”
 Proposed
alcohol tax increase could kill craft brewers (15 Jun 09)
Law commission chief Sir Geoffrey Palmer’s proposed alcohol tax increase will
disproportionately hurt craft brewers, who argue they are the very people who
promote responsible beer drinking the most.
Using a Berl report on the costs of alcohol as a starting point for discussion,
Mr Palmer is mooting an across the board increase of the excise tax on alcohol
in a bid to reduce the social and health costs of excessive alcohol consumption.
An overall tax increase of $6 per litre of absolute alcohol has been mooted as
a starting point in the Alcohol Healthwatch Briefing Paper 2004, “with possible
further increases depending on indicators of harm.”
Craft brewer Luke Nicholas of Epic Beer and the Real Beer website contends that
not only is the Berl study the Law Commission using as its starting point flawed,
but also from a health and violence point of view it would make more sense to
not only remove excise taxes from the niche craft brewing industry but actually
subsidise it.
A six pack of Epic costs around $20, the same price as a dozen Tuis, “so people
aren’t going to be binge drinking on Epic for a start” says Mr Nicholas, and
it’s representative of the 50 small craft breweries around the country who just
don’t make products a binge-drinker is going to consume.
Craft brewers say they are creating a product and culture for more responsible
drinkers, pointing to their ubiquitous availability in brew pubs, where specialty
beers are available with food – and are encouraged to be matched.
More at National
Business Review.
 Fonterra
unhappy with milk ruling (10 Jun 09)
Dairy giant Fonterra may appeal against a Commerce Commission
ruling last week that rivals Kaimai Cheese Company and The Grate Kiwi Cheese
Company were independent processors and were entitled to be supplied milk by
Fonterra
under the Dairy Industry Restructuring (Raw Milk) Regulations 2001. Fonterra
supplied 440 millon litres of raw milk under the regulations during the 2008-09
season, with a maximum of 50 million litres to any one processor or in the
case of Goodman Fielder 250 million litres.
Fonterra general counsel David Matthews said the company did not agree with
the Commerce Commission decision. "Fonterra believes that this complaint has
resulted from the availability of subsidised milk which has encouraged Kaimai,
Grate Kiwi and Open Country to devise a plan to obtain more subsidised milk
than they would normally be allowed under the regulations," Matthews said.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry last year reviewed the pricing formula
and confirmed that the regulated milk price enabled independent processors
to access milk at a lower cost than to Fonterra itself, he said. "Since then
MAF has been working on a way to rectify that position." Fonterra forecast
the "subsidy" given away for the 2008-09 season would be about $10 million. "This
is money our farmers just cannot afford," he said.
Fonterra was considering an appeal. More at NZ
Herald.
 Katherine
Rich: Added risk, any way you slice it (9 Jun 09)
Come September, when the food standard comes into force, New Zealanders will
have no choice but to consume folic acid in their bread. Only organic bread will
be exempt from the requirement to medicate - but at 1 per cent of the market
and priced out of the reach of poorer families, it would be surprising if any
decision-maker held this out as genuine choice. Political ideology and the centre-right
principle of freedom of choice aside, however, the big issue is the growing concern
that too much folic acid might create long-term health problems for bread-loving
Kiwis. Folic acid has been seen as a miracle vitamin since the 1980s, when increasing
pregnant women's folic acid intake was linked to reductions in birth defects.
No one, and in particular bakers, disputes the beneficial effects on pregnant
women. Pregnant women can benefit hugely from taking supplements and eating a
healthy diet. Where some part company is when regulators turn from targeted health
programmes for small numbers of women at risk, to a programme of effective mass
medication - dosing every man, woman, and child.
More from Katherine Rich, Chief
Executive of the Food & Grocery Council (FGC), at NZ
Herald.
Commerce
Commission rules against Fonterra (5 Jun 09)
The Commerce Commission has confirmed that Kaimai Cheese Company and the Grate Kiwi Cheese Company are legitimate "independent processors" -- a status that effectively forces Fonterra farmers to supply them with cheap milk.
Now Fonterra not only has to deliver the milk where its smaller rivals want it, but those companies can each claim up to 50 million litres a year of the low-cost milkflows, even though they may be linked to the same manufacturer.
The commission today released a final determination that potentially opens up Fonterra to a proliferation of small food processors each seeking a share of the 600 million litres of "statutory" milk it has to provide at cost price.
"Kaimai and Grate Kiwi are 'independent processors' ... and are entitled to be supplied with milk by Fonterra," the commission said in a 46-page decision.
It said the Dairy Industry Restructuring (Raw Milk) Regulations 2001 allows independent processors to require milk to be delivered to a nominated delivery address -- which could be the same factory for a series of small companies.
"An interpretation of the term 'independent processor' in the regulations that allows an independent processor the freedom to contract a third party to perform some or all of the production process for milk, milksolids or dairy products best gives ... efficient operation of dairy markets," said
Deborah Battell, the commission's director of competition.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Indonesia
bans beef product imports from New Zealand (5 Jun 09)
Indonesia has temporarily banned imports of beef products from New Zealand, citing
failures to meet Islamic halal standards for food consumption, Agriculture Minister
Anton Apriyantono said the ban came into effect on May 25, the decision coming
after the Ulema Council, known as MUI, declared that it did not recognise any
of the
halal certification agencies
in New Zealand.
Unless MUI provides a guarantee that New Zealand beef imports are halal, then
they will not be allowed to enter the world's most populous Muslim nation, he
said.
At least 76 containers of beef from New Zealand have been held up at Indonesian
ports since May 25 as their halal certification was not recognieed by MUI, said
Hari Priyono, head of the animal quarantine agency at the ministry.
He said Indonesia imported about 70,000 tonnes of beef products from New Zealand
and Australia a year.
Rate This Story
Your Rating Overall Rating Reader Comments
Comment On This StoryLast year, Indonesia consumed a total of 396,500 tonnes
of beef and beef products, and 30 percent was imported from Australia, New Zealand
and Canada.
Indonesia requires imported beef products to pass Islamic halal standards for
food consumption. Under the halal certification rules, suppliers must print halal
labels in both English and Indonesian.
More at Forbes.
 Juice
maker’s
additive “undesirable” (3 Jun 09)
Fruit juice company Simply Squeezed has been forced to stop using a controversial
additive in its products following a ruling from the NZ Juice and Beverage
Association (NZJBA).
The Association's technical committee has been looking into the use of water-extracted
soluble orange solids, or wesos, in orange juice manufacturing
after a complaint was made to the Commerce Commission.
Wesos, sometimes called "pulp wash," is obtained by washing pulp created from
the orange juicing process to get a secondary orange extract.
Simply Squeezed has admitted using wesos in its juices since 2006, saying it
believed it was legally entitled to do so and that Wesos have been in use in
this country since 1996.
After taking submissions from a number of member companies and associated groups,
the NZJBA concluded that the use of wesos in juice production is undesirable.
NZJBA president James Wilson says the use of wesos is a complex
issue and there
is “room for interpretation” of existing Food Safety Australia and New Zealand
regulations surrounding the usage.
“Where difficulties arise is when wesos is sold and purchased as a separate ingredient
and used in juice production. There are potential ramifications from interpretation,
regulatory and labeling points of view.”
The association is recommending a change to the industry code of practice leading
to the phasing out of any secondary addition of wesos products not added at the
point of extraction.
Simply Squeezed issued a statement saying it has taken steps to identify
an acceptable alternative juice concentrate.
More at National
Business
Review.
 Dairy
industry carbon footprint measured (29 May 09)
New Zealand's dairy sector - including the world's biggest milk trader, Fonterra
- has revealed the size of its carbon footprint. Each litre of milk
produced in New Zealand generates nearly 1kg of greenhouse
gases - about 85 percent of it on-farm.
Each litre produced causes the emission of greenhouse gases equivalent to 940g
of carbon dioxide, meaning Fonterra's 15 billion litres of milk would produce
nearly 15 million tonnes of carbon.
On the farm, 59 percent of those emissions are methane, 17 percent are carbon
dioxide, and 24 percent are nitrous oxide. Processing and manufacturing accounts
for 10 percent of total emissions, and distribution accounts for 5 percent
of total emissions.
Specific products which are concentrated -- such as the iron-binding protein
called lactoferrin which sells for $500,000 a tonne -- can require up to 14,000kg
of milk to make a single kilo of lactoferrin and will have a huge carbon footprint.
The government has funded seven carbon footprinting projects in the dairy, kiwifruit,
wine, lamb, forestry, berry fruit and onion sectors.
Details of the kiwifruit study have already been released, showing Zespri, the
world's biggest kiwifruit exporter, found that each 1kg of its New Zealand-grown
green crop eaten in Europe generates the equivalent of 1.77kg of carbon dioxide
in greenhouse gases.
Similar studies of the wine industry -- which has already completed its report
-- apples, and lamb are due to be released in July, and the beef sector will
lay out its figures in August.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Govt
cuts off cash to obesity coalition, HeHa (26 May 09)
The Government has lopped another limb off Labour's "bureaucratic" public health
tree, ending state funding for the Obesity
Action Coalition (OAC).
The coalition, created under Labour in 2003 to promote measures to reduce obesity,
confirmed yesterday it would close within months of its state contract ending
on June 30, unless it could find new sources of cash.
This follows National's permission to schools in February to resume regular sales
of unhealthy foods and drinks, and the scrapping of the roles of district health
board staff who helped schools and early childhood centres implement Labour's
healthy
food
and drink guidelines.
While the child obesity rate is stable at around 9 per cent, the adult rate,
at 26 per cent, continues to rise, although its rate of increase has slowed.
National in opposition accused Labour of erecting a costly and bureaucratic structure
to deal with obesity and promised to shift money from it into school sport.
Health Minister Tony Ryall's office confirmed last night that an announcement
would be made soon on a new physical activity scheme in schools.
He has told health boards that the money for it will come from existing schemes
under the anti-obesity umbrella programme he inherited, Healthy Eating, Healthy
Action.
The Health Ministry is the OAC's main source of income, but neither party would
say
how much it receives. OAC has only one employee, executive director
Leigh
Sturgiss.
More at NZ
Herald.
 US
subsidies anger dairy sector (25 May 09)
The United States' decision to reintroduce export subsidies on
dairy products has disappointed New Zealand farmers and politicians. The
US move followed the European Union's reintroduction of export
subsidies in January.
Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand chairman Malcolm Bailey said he was
frustrated with the move, which would undermine confidence in the
global market.
It would hurt New Zealand farmers who "rely on the world market rather than subsidies
for their incomes".
"At a time when the elimination of export subsidies remains on the negotiating
table at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva, this is a lousy signal to the
global trading system about US intentions."
Trade Minister Tim Groser said the move was disappointing, a setback and damaging
to world markets.
"Export subsidy assistance will have a relatively small effect on income for
US dairy farmers, and may even prove counterproductive by creating uncertainty
and depressing international dairy market prices.
"Unsubsidised producers, like those from New Zealand, will bear the cost of these
trade-distorting measures."
The move sent a negative signal to other WTO members, Mr Groser said.
Federated Farmers' Philip York said he was shocked at the move by US President
Barack Obama.
"The US dairy lobby is more interested in protecting subsidies than in exporting
on free-market principles."
Fonterra's managing director of global trade, Kelvin Wickham, said it was bad
news for the market and for New Zealand farmers.
More at NZ
Herald.
Unpasteurised
cheeses a step closer (23 May 09)
The nation's food safety experts are planning to allow the sale of some locally-made
unpasteurised
milk
cheeses.
Cheese aficionados claim that heating and pasteurising milk destroys the cheese's
flavour-giving bacteria.
But until now pasteurisation has been held up as the nation's chief bulwark against
pathogens such as not only Listeria monocytogenes, but E.coli, Salmonella,
and
Coxiella burnetii, and Mycobacterium bovis.
The Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) has announced proposed
new rules which would
allow the production, sale, export and import of unpasteurised milk products
that have an acceptable bacterial safety level.
But vulnerable consumers – such as babies and toddlers under three, the frail
elderly, expectant mothers and people with weakened immune systems – will have
to avoid eating unpasteurised cheese.
The authority has divided unpasteurised milk products into three different categories
of risk.
Extra-hard grating, Parmesan-style raw milk cheeses – such as Grana Padano, Parmigiano-Reggiano,
Romano, Asiago and Montasio – pose low levels of risk. Small consignments of
these cheeses have been shipped into New Zealand via Australia under the Trans-Tasman
Mutual Recognition Agreement.
A second group of products, such as Roquefort, a soft raw milk
cheese made in France, are low risk for the general population but may pose a
higher risk for
vulnerable consumers. But the NZFSA said that some cheeses in a third group cannot
be produced from unpasteurised milk to an acceptable level of safety for the
general population
so will not be allowed to be produced or imported.
The Proposed regulatory framework for unpasteurised milk products
will
be outlined at workshops planned for Auckland,
Hamilton and Christchurch in June.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Professor
Peter Gluckman appointed Chief Science Advisor to PM (21 May 09)
Acclaimed
scientist Professor Peter Gluckman has been appointed by John Key
as the first Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor, and will
speak directly to Mr Key on any scientific matters, including climate
change, research, innovation and technology.
A Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and winner of the
top science prize, the Rutherford Medal, Professor Gluckman was under no illusion
the part-time role would be easy.
"Many of the challenges that all countries face are scientific in finding the
solution. Things like swine flu, global warming, bee colony collapse which would
be disastrous.
"The answer must lie in the proper understanding of science." Professer Gluckman
wanted to encourage better use of scientific talent but saw a fundamental part
of his role as explaining complex scientific issues like genetically
modified food to a sometimes-frightened public so they could make informed judgments.
"There are going to be so many opportunities for careers in science for young
people that I want to help make science sexy and attractive. That's my passion.
In doing so it will make New Zealand richer and stronger."
Professor Gluckman, is Founding Director of the Liggins Institute, which recently
announced a collaboration with Agresearch to be known as ‘The Pastoral
Food
for
Human
Health
Research
Centre’.
More
at www.stuff.co.nz.
MAF
clears pig farmer over cruelty charges (20 May 09)
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry investigators say a piggery belonging to a former pork industry board chairman is not breaking any animal welfare laws.
MAF investigations manager Greg Reid told Newstalk ZB the ministry could
only take action if specific animals were suffering unnecessarily or if the pigs
had untreated diseases.
He expected the case to trigger a review of regulations for operating pig farms.
Later today, National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee members would discuss
the future of sow crates, used in pig farms.
Animal welfare activists have criticised the use of farrowing stalls for pregnant
pigs, with an animal rights group raiding a farm belonging to former New Zealand
Pork Industry Board chairman Colin Kay.
TVNZ's Sunday programme aired footage by animal welfare organisation Open Rescue,
who were accompanied by comedian Mike King during a break-in at Mr Kay's Levin
pig farm.
Mr Kay said activists had stirred the pigs up, and he was considering legal action
against the raiders.
"I don't know what those people were doing in there [to provoke the pigs], they don't normally behave that way," he
told Radio New Zealand.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
Pig farm inspection by MAF (19 May 09)
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) Animal Welfare Inspectors today visited
the pig farm at the centre of TVNZ's "Sunday" programme, since found
to be owned by Colin Kay, a former director of the New Zealand Pork Industry
Board. Inspectors were accompanied by an independent veterinarian and pig expert,
and spent about two and a half hours at the farm.
Mr Kay told news media after the inspection that investigators had found it to
be compliant with animal welfare requirements, as it had been on a previous
inspection. However MAF subsequently issued a statement saying that no conclusion
had yet been reached. "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 initial onsite inspection has been completed and the independent veterinarian
and inspector will now complete and submit their reports. These reports will
include any recommendations and conclusions from today's inspection.
This will enable MAF to decide upon what, if any, further investigation is required."
In the meantime, Mr Kay has told TVNZ's One News that he believed activists
had stirred the pigs up, as they were unusually stressed in the video footage
and would normally be quiet at night.
Piggery
at centre of investigation revealed (19 May 09)
SAFE, the animal welfare group which exposed the poor treatment of pigs at an
unidentified farm has now named the owner as Colin Kay, a former
director of the New Zealand Pork Industry Board.
SAFE spokesman Hans Kriek indicated earlier today that the group would disclose
the identity of the man to the Agriculture Minister.
Animal rights activist and Safe campaign director Hans Kriek confirmed to the
Manawatu Standard this morning that comedian Mike King was shown through
Mr Kay's intensive pig farm during a midnight break-in.
MAF meat inspectors will today visit Mr Kay's piggery, which houses a couple
of thousand pigs.
Mr Kay says the Kuku Beach piggery is the only one of his piggeries that has
dry sow stalls, and will be closed in two-and-a-half years when its resource
consent runs out.
Mr Kay's group owns four piggeries, in Manawatu and Horowhenua.
The New Zealand Pork Industry said the pork industry was phasing out long-term
use of sow stalls and that the programme did not represent the pork industry
as a whole.
The pork industry's board had postponed the annual Bacon of the Year awards in
response to the programme.
The SPCA joined the voices of objection following the programme, with chief executive
Robyn Kippenberger calling for a ban on sow stalls and farrowing crates.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Johnny,
come and taste the quality (18 May 09)
New Zealand's dairy farmers say they want former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon
(aka Johnny
Rotten) to come here and visit their cows.
The former punk rocker has been paid by a British dairy company to persuade customers
buying Fonterra's Anchor butter to switch to a UK brand, Dairy
Crest's Country Life.
It mounted the campaign after a survey showed 39 per cent of Britons believed
the Anchor brand was British. The print ads feature an image of the singer under
the headline "Anchor's from New Zealand''. Underneath, it reads "So, I buy Country
Life cos I think it tastes best.''
But the NZ farmers want the singer to see for himself the difference that their "free
range'' cows make to the quality of dairy products. Many British cows are confined
to barns or feedlots.
"Grazing outdoors on GM-free grass and natural winter feed makes for happy cows
and fantastic quality milk'' said Willy Leferink, Federated Farmers
dairy section vice-chairman.
"British consumers literally taste freedom when they eat New Zealand butter.''
Federated Farmers dairy chairman, Lachlan McKenzie said the taste of New Zealand's
butter spoke louder than the campaign.
Agriculture Minister David Carter noted that the "buy local" tone of the campaign posed a threat and that
New Zealand was spending a lot of money researching the "carbon footprint" of
key export commodities so that such issues could be argued on the science.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Bacon
awards off the menu (18 May 09)
TV One’s Sunday programme exposé on the use of crate-farming of pregnant
pigs has forced the postponement of the industry’s annual Lesnies
100% New Zealand Bacon Competition.
The New Zealand Pork Industry Board says, “In light of last night’s Sunday programme,
[the board] has decided to postpone this year’s Bacon of the Year awards.”
Judging of the entries in the Lesnies-sponsored awards was to be held at Petone's
Weltec School of Hospitality at the weekend and the winners announced in Wellington
this Wednesday.
The board says it supports the Minister of Agriculture’s investigation of the
farm shown in the programme and believes it’s inappropriate to proceed with the
awards until this issue is resolved.
The programme features the former front man for the board’s pork advertising
campaign, Mike King, being taken covertly through a piggery at night by an animal
rights’ group.
The
pigs were repeatedly shown in a distressed state, squealing, frothing at the
mouth and chewing at steel bars.
The footage had been shown to Agriculture Minister David Carter, who says he
will order an investigation into this piggery and whether the practice is widespread.
Safe has declined to identify the farm where the filming occurred.
More at National
Business Review.
 Former
pork frontman condemns sow crates (17 May 09)
Comedian Mike King, who used to front a campaign
promoting pork products, says the "callous and evil" practice of
crate farming pigs should be outlawed immediately.
King said that after breaking into a pig farm with animal activists where pigs
were kept in crates, he was deeply ashamed he took part in promoting
the type of farming, TVNZ's Sunday programme reported.
The pigs were unable to move and obviously in distress, chewing at the cage bars
and frothing, King said.
There was one dead pig in the sties and Mr King described the pigs as being "despairing,
terrified and lost".
The farm was filmed by animal rights group Open Rescue and footage shown to Agriculture
Minister David Carter, who said he wasn't aware of the extent to which pigs were
confined.
It was a bit disturbing to see them in such conditions but he said he needed
to know if the footage showed what was typical of the pork industry and he suspected
it was not.
The Pork Industry Board said intensive farming was the only way it could
remain competitive and changing from crates and stalls would cost millions of
dollars.
They were the best way to prevent indoor pigs them from injuring each other.
The Animal Welfare Code for pigs is due for review this year.
Mr Carter will make a final decision after recommendations from the National
Animal Welfare Advisory Committee.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
Bakers
unhappy at 'mass medication' of NZ's bread (17 May 09)
In four months, bakers will be forced to begin putting a synthetic form of folic
acid into almost every loaf of bread made in New Zealand.
With research suggesting that
87 per cent of New Zealanders oppose the move, supermarket suppliers and bakers
now want the Government to protect them from lawsuits as concerns grow about
the
safety of folic acid.
The mandatory fortification plan aims to reduce the number of brain-damaged
babies,
but new research shows folic acid may cause an increase in colon cancer cases.
And another study suggests it may cause colon cancer to grow faster.
The Bakers' Association has labelled the compulsory introduction "mass medication" of
the population, and warned that bread containing folic acid will be less safe
than it is now.
While about 50 countries already have voluntary schemes, the September introduction
would put New Zealand among select few that make it mandatory, or are planning
to do so. The United Kingdom is among them, but it has put plans on hold while
it awaits new research.
Ireland canned plans to make adding folic acid mandatory after a voluntary scheme
was shown to raise women's folate levels.
New Zealand Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson said the Government was concerned
about the scheme, which it had "inherited" from Labour.
"We need to make sure the health benefits outweigh the risk," she said. "We have
to make sure the evidence is science-based and not emotion-based. We are concerned
and we are looking at it."
Wilkinson said Food Safety Authority officials were preparing advice on the latest
research. She expected to take it to Cabinet before the end of the month, when
a "course of action" would be decided.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Animal
'flus and food safety (1 May 09)
You cannot get animal flu from food
Many bird and animal species can contract influenza-like (flu-like) viral diseases
similar to human flu. You cannot contract animal flu by eating foods and food
products derived from the bird or animal. However, transmission can sometimes
occur directly from a live animal or bird to a human, as happened in 1997 in
Hong Kong with avian flu. Sometimes the virus can mutate and be easily transmitted
between humans. This mutation creates a new strain of human flu.
Pork is safe
The current human flu outbreak (North American influenza) is
caused by a different virus to the one that causes swine flu in pigs overseas.
There is no evidence to date that pigs have been infected by this mutated virus.
International scientists, including those at the United States Centres for Disease
Control and Prevention and US Department of Agriculture, state that pig flu viruses
are not transmitted by food. You cannot get the virus causing the current human
outbreak from eating pork or pork products that are properly cooked.
Internationally traded food is safe
The World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) has stated that: “Given there is no
case of infection in animals confirmed in the zones where cases of human infection
have been detected, it is not necessary to introduce specific measures for international
trade in swine or their products nor to consider that consumers of pork products
are at risk of infection”.
Avoid preparing food if you have influenza
It is possible for a person who is ill with influenza or from many other viruses
and bacteria to contaminate food, utensils or other objects and so pass the disease
on. If you are unwell you should avoid preparing food for others. More
at NZ Food Safety Authority.
Pork
safe - producers (27 Apr 09)
NZPork is carefully monitoring the situation regarding the new strain of H1N1
influenza virus, called swine flu.
Pork is safe to eat, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirming that
it
is
safe
to eat all pork and pork meat products.
The H1N1 virus is called swine influenza because it probably originated in pigs.
However it is a new strain of the influenza A virus involving components of swine,
avian (bird) and human influenza. It is a human health risk because it is being
transmitted
from human to human.
There has never been a case of swine influenza in pigs in New Zealand, however
NZPork, in collaboration with MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) is taking
all precautions to ensure that potential transmission pathways from humans to
pigs are controlled.
They are therefore reminding all pork producers to maintain effective farm biosecurity,
particularly around visitor access to farms and pigs - disinfecting and cleaning
procedures when people enter and leave a farm, ensuring staff do not work with
pigs if they have flu-like
symptoms, and to raise any unusual pig health issues with their veterinary adviser
immediately.
 Burn
'em as fuel - group's plan for plastic bags (21 Apr 09)
New Zealand needs to become "braver" about burning plastic if it wants to stop
millions of plastic shopping bags being wasted, says a packaging body. Packaging
Council executive director Paul Curtis said there was
no reason plastic wrap and shopping bags should not be burned for fuel. His comments
come as supermarket chain Foodstuffs and retailer The Warehouse embark on plans
to charge shoppers for plastic bags to reduce the number going into rubbish tips.
The Packaging Council, which describes itself as "the industry's voice on policies
affecting packaging and packaging waste", wants to reduce the environmental effect
of packaging by promoting alternatives. The Warehouse, Foodstuffs and the other
main supermarket company, Progressive Enterprises, are members. Plastic shopping
bags can be turned into products such as road barriers and plastic reels. The
Warehouse and some Progressive supermarkets collect bags for recycling, but local
body kerbside recycling collections do not accept them, and many end up in rubbish
tips. Bruce Gledhill of Recyclers of New Zealand said every
home should have a separate kerbside recycling bin for cheese wrappers, meat
wrap and other used plastic film that could be taken to coal-burning plants around
the country. Burning coal with the right kind of plastic was 30 per cent cleaner
and much more efficient than burning coal alone. More at NZ
Herald.
 Closer
food ties with China worth the risk, says Key (16 Apr 09)
China's desire for New Zealand to help sort out its food safety crisis
is a commercial risk well worth taking, Prime Minister John
Key said
today.
Key met Premier Wen Jiabao overnight with both men toasting the health of the
relationship and the desire to build on the one-year-old trade
deal between the two countries.
It is the first visit by a New Zealand leader since the poisoned milk scandal
swept through China.
New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra had a 43 percent stake in Sanlu before it became
the first of 22 Chinese dairy companies to reveal its products
contained high levels of melamine, the chemical blamed for the
deaths of six babies and urinary problems in nearly 300,000 others.
``Premier Wen said as far as they were concerned they saw Sanlu as a single isolated
incident that was behind us now... In particular he made reference
to wanting to work with New Zealand in the development of food
safety standards.'
Despite its involvement, Fonterra's exports to China have boomed since the poisoned
milk scandal because Chinese households were seeking safe food,
while Chinese farmers were in crisis because a lack of public confidence
in their produce. Key said New Zealand would work with the Chinese
to see if New Zealand's food safety expertise and technology was
exportable.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Calories
on the menu? (12 Apr 09)
Fast-food outlets may soon be asked to display the kilojoule content of their
food so customers know exactly what they're eating.
New Zealand's Food Industry Group (FIG), formed four years ago
to encourage food companies to find ways to help solve the country's obesity
epidemic, is looking at options for giving consumers more information about the
dietary implications of food they're buying.
In the United Kingdom, 17 restaurant chains and catering companies, including
Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC and Subway, have signed up to strict criteria set
out by the government-backed Food Standards Agency, which stipulates that they
must:
* Show the number of calories in each portion in writing that is clear and at
least as prominent as the name or price of the product
* Display calorie information for most of the food and drink they serve
* Print calorie information on menu boards, paper menus or on the edge of shelves.
FIG executive director Vicki Hamilton said consideration was
being given to introducing a similar scheme here but details of how it would
work were still being sorted out.
Kilojoules are a measure of the energy contained in food; there are 4.18 kilojoules
in each calorie. If you consume more kilojoules than you burn, the remainder
is stored as fat.
Fight the Obesity Epidemic chair Dr Robyn Toomath said giving
people information
about food at the point of sale could have a significant impact on their choices. "If
people know they're going to have to run 15 miles to get rid of the calories
from one small bag of fries then they might think twice about buying them," Toomath
said. More at Sunday
Star Times.
FSANZ
seeks comments on new GM food (20 Mar 09)
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today invited individuals and organisations
with an interest in the regulation of food to provide information and comment
on an application to amend the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
The application is seeking approval for food derived from a genetically modified
soybean, which must undergo a safety evaluation by FSANZ before it can be sold
in Australia and New Zealand.
Submissions should reach FSANZ by Friday 1 May 2009.
Food derived from herbicide-tolerant soybean line DP-356043-5
(Application A1006 – First Assessment)
Pioneer 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 soybean that is tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate and to an
acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting class of herbicides. FSANZ has conducted
a safety assessment on this GM soybean, which revealed no public health or safety
concerns, and now seeks comment from industry, public health
professionals, government agencies and consumers. Details of all the assessments
above can be found on www.foodstandards.gov.au.
Law
review looks at drinking culture (2 Mar 09)
The legal age for drinking, beer advertisements and blood alcohol levels for drivers are being scrutinised as the Law Commission reviews the liquor laws.
The commission's review, the biggest since the Laking Report in the mid-1980s, will consider issues including the proliferation of liquor outlets and how alcohol consumption contributes to criminal offending.
Sir Geoffrey Palmer, who addressed the Pan Liquor Industry Symposium last week, said that although New Zealanders do not drink as much as Australians, the British, French or Irish the alcohol available for consumption per capita reached 9.5 litres last year - the highest volume since 1994.
Exacerbating the issue was a "high prevalence of hazardous drinking" where "binge drinking appears to be a particular problem".
Sir Geoffrey cited a number of social harms caused by alcohol.
He said both male and female youth were now at risk and alcohol made a "significant contribution" to
criminal offending."
Alcohol Liquor Advisory Council chairman Peter Glensor welcomed the review saying the Sale of Liquor Act was nearly 20 years old.
Mr Glensor said there was a growing sense of frustration in communities when they did not have a say in determining the density and placement of liquor outlets.
Hospitality Association chief executive Bruce Robertson said: "People are drinking to excess and minors are drinking and currently neither of those things is illegal.
"If we are saying intoxication is really bad then we need to look at the purchasing age."
More at NZ
Herald.
 Fonterra
melamine scare over iron supplement (21 Feb 09)
Diary giant Fonterra has endured a second tainted milk powder scare after a supplier
advised that melamime had been found in an iron supplement. Group director manufacturing
and supply chain Gary Romano said German-based company Budenheim told
Fonterra an iron supplement it supplied to food companies worldwide, ferric
pyrophosphate, had tested positive for melamine. Fonterra used small
quantities of the iron supplement in 12 fortified whole milk powder products.
Fonterra immediately stopped all production using the supplement and undertook
extensive testing of the affected batches. "No melamine had been detected in
any of its products," Mr Romano said. "Fonterra has calculated that, given the
small amount of iron supplement used in some of its products, if melamine was
present in the finished product it would be at levels 50-100 times lower than
the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA)
guideline. "Based on all current world standards there is absolutely no health
risks to
consumers." The NZFSA guidelines allowed for 2.5 parts per million and regarded
any concentration below 0.1 parts per million as a negative result. Budenheim
was supplying Fonterra with a new iron supplement product which had tested negative
for melamine. Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson said Fonterra had advised the
Government on February 11 of the Budenheim problem.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Stretching
the food budget - making meat go further (19 Feb 09)
The scary spectre of tight economic times and rising food prices hangs
over every consumer’s head, but until now there have been few resources
available for those wanting tips on how to stretch the food budget.
‘Simple Tips to Make Your Meat go Further’ is a down-to-earth,
no-nonsense leaflet for consumers who want to include meat on their weekly shopping
list, often within
strict budgetary limitations.
Published by Beef and Lamb New Zealand, the leaflet is endorsed
by Allyson
Gofton and covers topics such as handy shopping tips, ideas on how to
stretch meat meals further and what to do with leftovers, as well as featuring
cost-saving recipes
and meal ideas.
“Getting a lot for a little is more important now than ever before,” says Beef
and Lamb CEO, Rod Slater. “We all know that meat is a powerpack
of nutrients, containing many of the essential minerals and vitamins we all need
on a regular
basis.
“This leaflet shows how smarter shopping, good cooking and some simple ideas
for stretching meat can help families retain lean beef and lamb as part of a
balanced and affordable diet for the family.”
Click
to download Simple Tips to Make Your Meat go Further (PDF,
845KB)
The
leaflet is also available to consumers in supermarkets and retail outlets, and
can also be sourced by calling Beef and Lamb New Zealand on
freephone 0800
733 466, or ordering online at www.beeflambnz.co.nz
 China
clears milk additive, accepts NZ Food Safety certification (18 Feb 09)
China's health ministry has found a New Zealand protein additive used by one
of its top milk producers poses no public health risk.
Authorities investigated the safety of a high-tech milk additive used by Mengniu
Dairy Group Co, a major Chinese producer.
Osteoblast milk protein (OMP) - which claimed to aid the absorption of calcium
and promote bone growth - was made by the Waikato-based Tatua
Cooperative Dairy Company.
But the official Xinhua news agency reported Mengniu could still face punishment
for using OMP as an additive in its milk, as it was not yet listed
in China as a legal food additive.
"Law enforcement and inspection departments will further deal with the illegal actions of Mengniu," the
health ministry said, without giving any details.
It said the company had stopped using OMP and was in the process of getting official
approval.
Today, Xinhua reported OMP had a safety certification from the New Zealand Food
Safety Authority (NZFSA).
"We can breathe a sigh of relief now," said Yang Wenjun, vice president of Mengniu Dairy at a news conference held on Saturday.
The Mengniu group described OMP as a "common food material" used in overseas
markets and said it has been used in milk products in Japan, the United States,
the Republic of Korea and Taiwan.
Mengniu launched the production line Milk Deluxe with OMP in 2005, with a marketing
claim the additive helped improve human health.
Tatua chief executive Paul McGilvray said last week Tatua was "utterly confident" its
products were completely safe and was unconcerned by the attention of the Chinese
authorities.
More at 3
News.
 Report
- food miles could be critical risk to NZ business (12 Feb 09)
If, or when, Europeans start basing their buying decisions on food miles, New
Zealand’s GDP could take a 0.24% hit according to a new NZIER report released
today.
The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research paper written
by John Ballingall and Dr Niven Winchester is called “Distance
isn’t dead: An empirical evaluation of food miles-based preference changes”.
The paper uses a global economy model to analyse potential impacts on New Zealand
exports if consumers in environment-conscious markets like the UK, Germany and
France base food purchasing decisions based on how far it travels to get to their
plate.
Other countries such as developing African economies may also be affected by
the food miles movement, with the research showing both first and third world
countries will suffer export losses if food miles are the basis for purchasing
decisions in Europe.
“Because of their distance from market and their relatively high share of agricultural
exports, the largest losers from declining demand for imported food will likely
be New Zealand and several Sub-Saharan African nations such as Madagascar and
Malawi.
“New Zealand’s exports to the UK, Germany and France would drop significantly
if food miles preference shifts took place, although these exports would largely
be redirected towards other markets such as in Asia who are less concerned about
food miles issues.”
Previous New Zealand and overseas research has shown buying locally may not deliver
any environmental benefits in terms of reducing global emissions, notes the working
paper.
“Our analysis indicates that some of the world’s poorest nations may also suffer
economic losses from the food miles movement. This suggests that ill-informed
food miles campaigns could increase global inequality without necessarily improving
environmental outcomes."
More at National Business
Review.
NZ
dairy firm in China probe says products safe (12 Feb 09)
A New Zealand dairy company caught up in a safety probe involving milk products
in China say the authorities' inquiries are "routine" and its ingredients are
safe.
Chinese authorities are investigating the safety of an additive used in a premium
brand of China's top milk producer Mengniu Dairy.
The additive, called osteoblast milk protein (OMP), uses ingredients
imported from the Waikato-based Tatua
Co-operative Dairy Company.
But Tatua chief executive Paul McGilvray said today said inquiries
and additional testing were "routine" under the much tougher regime put in place
since the deaths of at least six babies last year from the melamine-contaminated
milk
scandal.
Mr McGilvray said
he was aware some Chinese officials wanted to visit New Zealand to be shown through
Tatua's production processes and they would be welcome to do so.
He said there may have been some extra focus on Tatua's ingredients due to well
publicised tiny amounts of melamine - far below those found in products in the
tainted milk scandal - found in some of the company's products.
The presence of the chemical was the product of a faulty filtration process,
since been overhauled.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Fast
food firms hit by minimum wage rise (11 Feb 09)
Fast food giant McDonald's says it may be forced to increase prices and review
plans for expansion owing to the Government's decision to raise the minimum wage.
McDonald's New Zealand managing director Mark Hawthorne said
the wage rise, combined with other cost increases, was forcing the company to
review plans to open a further 30 outlets over the next three years. Another
fast food company, Domino's Pizzas, said consumers would not stand for a price
rise but the wage increase would cut operators' profit margins, possibly squeezing
some out of business. The fast food sector accounts for a sizeable share of the
70,000 to 100,000 workers on the current minimum wage of $12 an hour, and of
the 120,000 earning less than $12.50. Mr Hawthorne said McDonald's stores employed
8000 people, with a majority of them on the legal minimum and the rest affected
through relativities. He said labour made up 25 per cent of the cost of sales,
so the 4.2 per cent wage increase would push up total costs by about 1 per cent,
or $4 million a year. The increase comes on top of much bigger wage rises last
March, when McDonald's lifted all its youth workers on to adult rates, and follows
an 8 per cent increase in food and paper costs last year when commodity prices
were booming. More at NZ
Herald.
 GM
trial axed as Plant & Food admits breach (11 Feb 09)
A 10-year genetic modification trial has been cancelled and another put on hold after government-approved scientists admitted serious failures that risked contamination of the environment.
Just two years into a vegetable trial at Lincoln, near Christchurch, GM opponents discovered that plants that should have been destroyed had instead been left to flower, exposing their GM pollen to the environment.
Plant and Food Research, a Crown science institute, has now ended the trial after admitting possible quarantine failures, and recommended in a report that the conduct of the trial manager should be investigated.
It said a second trial on genetically modified onions had been suspended for the "foreseeable future".
The Environmental Risk Management Authority originally approved the trial in
May 2007 to be run under strict conditions.
Genetically modified cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and kale were being grown
to try to develop natural resistance to caterpillar pests such as the cabbage
white butterfly and diamondback moth.
Plant and Food spokesman Roger Bourne admitted it was an embarrassing lapse by
the institute, and promised improvement.
He said it was a bit premature to cancel the new onion trial altogether.
More at NZ
Herald.
New
Zealanders getting the message on being overweight (9
Feb 09)
Many New Zealanders who are concerned about their weight are taking actions to
do something about it according to recent research of over 10,000 New Zealanders*. Vicki
Hamilton, Executive Director of the Food Industry Group, said that the
research showed over 54 per cent of those asked were concerned about overweight
problems for themselves or their family and, of these, 73% were taking various
actions. These ranged from reducing the amount of food being eaten (26%) to changing
the sorts of foods eaten (33%) and getting more exercise (38%). Hamilton also
said that despite all the negative publicity from lobby groups about food advertising
the research had, in fact, shown it could have quite a positive effect on what
people ate. “Just on 70% of people asked said advertising had helped them or
their family correct overweight problems by reducing the amount they ate (13%),
eating more healthy foods (31%) and getting more exercise (25%). Hamilton said
it was time to look at some of the positive news on the obesity front. “Although
there is still much to be done to solve the problem, continual calls for bans
and taxes on certain foods are not the answer. It is not only simplistic and
bureaucratic, it is impractical. “All kinds of foods are now everywhere in our
society. You will always be able to eat too much of the wrong things if you choose
to- whether foods are advertised or not. What is crucial is for people to understand
the downsides of being overweight and what to do about it.” “It may be a boring
message but it does boil down to not eating too much, choosing a balanced diet
and getting some exercise. “ *Part of the National Commercial Radio Audience
Survey 2008
 Ban
on selling unheathy food in schools lifted (5 Feb 09)
Unheathy food is set to return to school tuck shops after the Government overturned an attempted ban on selling unhealthy food in schools.
Education Minister Anne Tolley said she had decided to remove the National Administration Guideline (5) which tells schools that "where food and beverages are sold on school premises, to make only healthy options available".
Mrs Tolley said this meant schools would no longer be required to act as "food police".
The Government believed the rule was unnecessary and had caused confusion for schools, particularly around fundraising and school events.
Schools were outraged when the clause was introduced last year and saw it as yet another increase in unnecessary bureaucracy, Mrs Tolley said.
"I believe boards of trustees should be able to make their own decisions about appropriate food and drink options. After all, they are parents who should be aware of what good and bad foods are. I am confident they will act responsibly," Mrs Tolley said.
"It should be noted that clause two in the National Administration Guideline (5) that requires schools to promote healthy food and drink to students remains in place."
When the clause came into effect surveys showed many schools were not complying
or reporting that students were just buying unhealthy food outside school and
bringing it in.
More at NZ
Herald.
 European
Food Safety Authority review clears A1 milk (5 Feb 09)
A key scientific report has dismissed claims that A1 milk – the type most
people
buy
from
the
supermarket – can
cause diabetes and other non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, autism
and milk intolerance. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released
its eagerly-awaited detailed
review of the available scientific literature that addresses possible health
effects
of
beta-casein (particularly a milk protein called beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM7)) and
related peptides in milk and other foods. The 107-page report concludes the
available evidence does not support
suggestions that the proteins present
in A1 milk can cause non-communicable disease. EFSA states:
“Based on this review, EFSA concluded that a cause and effect relationship
is
not established between the dietary intake of BCM7, related peptides or their
possible protein precursors and non-communicable diseases. Consequently, a formal
EFSA risk assessment is not recommended.”
The Food New Zealand Safety Authority had been waiting on this new review
of the scientific evidence commissioned by its European counterpart, before
taking any further action on the issue of A1 milk in this country. Lincoln University
professor of farm management and agribusiness Keith Woodford argues in his 2007
book Devil in the Milk that there is sufficient evidence of the link
between BCM7 and non-communicable disease from epidemiological
and
animal studies to justify New Zealand’s dairy farms moving to herds of
specially bred A2-milk-producing cows. And in April
last year, Dr Boyd Swinburne, professor of population health at Deakin
University in Melbourne, and author of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority's
first
review of
A1
and
A2
milk, urged the NZ dairy industry to move to A2 milk production. The
most common proteins in cow’s milk are beta-casein A1 and beta-casein A2.
Milk high in beta-casein A1 is being referred to as ‘A1 milk’ while milk high
in beta-casein A2 is being called ‘A2 milk’. Cow’s milk contains six major proteins:
four casein proteins make up 80 percent of the milk proteins, the other two are
whey proteins.
Read the full EFSA review: Review
of the potential
health impact of ß-casomorphins and related peptides.
 'I'm
no poster girl for sweetener' (1 Feb 09)
TV food expert Nikki Hart says she's "not the poster girl" for controversial chemical aspartame, despite being paid to promote it by Diet Coke.
The nutritionist and presenter of Eat Yourself Whole and The Fat
Chance has been criticised over her efforts to ease fears about the alternative sweetener.
"There has been a lot of scaremongering about aspartame so Diet Coke asked me to provide knowledge about it," she said.
"I will promote wholefoods, I will promote anything that I believe is safe, which aspartame has proven to be."
Aspartame is found in an array of food and drinks and is often labelled 951 on products in New Zealand.
Hart agreed to join forces with Coca-Cola Oceania to dispel claims it has adverse side-effects but refused to reveal how much she was being paid.
"I am there to advise about all sweeteners and because they know that I am on the Low Calorie Advisory Sweeteners Board, they felt I had the most up-to-date information about it.
"I wish people would see that I'm not out there to get paid gazillions of dollars by a company to prove a topic.
"I'm not the poster girl for anybody. I am not in anyone's pocket."
Aspartame, which is 200 times sweeter than sugar, has been the subject of controversy
for years but has been found to be safe for human consumption by more than 90
countries worldwide.
Hart said aspartame was a "very emotive" subject and until she found conclusive
evidence it was unsafe she would not advise people to avoid it.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Coke
sued over VitaminWater claims (16 Jan 09)
A nutrition advocacy group has sued Coca-Cola, the biggest drinks
maker in the world, over what it calls "deceptive" health claims
about its "VitaminWater" product.
The Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest accuses Coke of
selling what it says is basically sugar water by claiming it has
vitamins that boost immunity and reduce the risk of disease.
The group said the health benefit claims that Coca-Cola makes about its VitaminWater
are "nonsense." It filed a class action lawsuit in US District
Court in the Northern District of California.
"Any nonsensical claim you like, you can find in their line of VitaminWater," said
the group's senior nutritionist, David Schardt.
VitaminWater flavours are marketed with words such as defence, rescue, energy
and endurance. The drinks' top three ingredients are water, cane sugar and crystalline
fructose, a form of sugar, according to the bottle labels. The 567 gram bottle
has roughly 33 grams of sugar, compared with about 39 grams in a typical 340-gram
soft drink.
Coca-Cola bought Glaceau's VitaminWater for $US4.1 billion in June 2007.
Consumers worried about their health had been driving down sales for soft drinks
and switching to bottled water and other drinks like VitaminWater. The lawsuit
says Coca-Cola "profited enormously" from sales driven by consumers' health concerns.
The lead plaintiff in the case, San Francisco resident James Koh, said in a statement, "I
was attracted by the prospect of getting extra vitamins. But I had no idea that
I was actually getting almost a Coke's worth of sugar and calories. There's no
way I would have spent money on that, had I known."
More at NZ
Herald.
 “Enhanced” water:
who’s ripping off who? (14 Jan 09)
Consumers of the latest drink fad to hit New Zealand, “enhanced” water, may find
themselves more confused than enthralled as four companies gun for a market stranglehold
with near identical marketing, packaging and even content.
Beverages giant Glaceau originated the concept back in 1996
with its Vitamin Water range, and after screaming to prominence in hip-hop videos
(including endorsement and company shareholding by rapper 50 Cent), award ceremonies
and appearances in the hands of Hollywood starlets its success has now reached
$US500 million in sales annually.
With soft drink sales flattening and the trend toward health products booming
worldwide, Coca Cola picked up the brand in 2007 for $US4.1 billion.
The main competitor, Nutrient Water, was brought back to Australia
by expats
who saw what Glaceau was doing in the US.
Customer confusion has flowed over just how identical the two products are, right
down to flavouring. Neither product is particularly
healthy, boasting
around 6-7 teaspoons of sugar in each bottle.
Nutrient Water launched in New Zealand first in February 2008, prompting Coke
to rush its product to market here late last year alongside imitators Frucor’s
Supplement Water and most recently Charlies’ Vitamin
Water.
Coca Cola Amatil has only begun to physically produce Glaceau Vitamin Water at
its Mt Wellington plant this week, having previously imported the product from
Sydney.
More at National
Business Review.
 Breach
of GM rules small, say researchers (14 Jan 09)
Plant & Food Research has suspended genetic-modification (GM)
field trials while it investigates a breach of environmental controls at a site
near Lincoln.
Biosecurity New Zealand conducted a surprise audit of the GM field trial site
last month after a flowering brassica plant was found by an environmental group.
At the time, the Lincoln-based Crown research institute and Biosecurity said
there were no breaches.
However, the Auckland-based chief operating officer for Plant & Food, Bruce
Campbell, yesterday admitted the 10-year field trial of GM broccoli,
cabbage, cauliflower and forage kale had breached Environmental Risk Management
Authority (Erma) conditions.
"In this instance, it was one flower opening on one stem; it's a very small-scale
event," he said.
He said the risk of GM material escaping was "incredibly low".
Plant & Food's brassica trial near Lincoln is in its first year. It also has
approval for a 10-year research project into GM onions, spring onions, garlic
and leeks.
While the trials were not active, Campbell said, nothing would go ahead until
the investigation had been completed.
"It's not good enough that these controls have been breached. We want to find
out why it happened and sharpen things up to make sure it doesn't happen again," he
said.
Campbell did not know whether plants near the site would be tested for GM material.
"We'll be taking advice from MAF (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)."
More at The Press.
 Big
Blue fined over water claims (13 Jan 09)
Auckland-based company Big Blue has been fined a total of $25,000
by the Auckland District Court after being prosecuted by the Commerce
Commission
for having misleading labelling which touted special health benefits
of its bottled water over and above regular tap water.
The company claimed that its product Energised Mineral Water was
'100 percent Pure New Zealand Mineral Water', when it was actually tap water
that had been de-mineralised by reverse osmosis for purification
and then re-mineralised using artificial minerals sourced from
South Korea.
"Many consumers seek health benefits from drinking water and the pseudo-scientific
claims being made for these products could fool some people into believing that
there were extra health benefits to be gained by drinking 'energised' water," Andrew
Sparrow, the Commerce Commission’s director of fair trading said.
Big Blue's labels and promotional material claimed that Energised Mineral Water
contained "over 20 naturally occurring sea trace minerals" whereas testing showed
that the very small traces of minerals in the
product
bore
no resemblance to naturally occurring sea trace minerals.
Big Blue claimed on its website that the Wasser technology process it used to
filter the water neutralised the harm caused by toxins through re-programming
the water's polarity and restoring it to its 'primordial' or natural state.
The Commerce Commission found that the Wasser Technology process did not produce
any measureable change to the water.
"While the water that Big Blue was selling was safe for consumption, its claims
would have led consumers to erroneously believe that the water may have had special
health benefits over and above regular tap water or other bottled water products," Sparrow
said.
More at BusinessDay.co.nz.
 Vegemite
tax uproar spreads (9 Jan 09)
The Australian Food and Grocery Council, and now the federal opposition, have
attacked the Australian government's preventive health taskforce, challenging
its credibility over fat taxes and claiming the iconic spread Vegemite could
be
forced
off
the
shelves
because
it is too salty.
The taskforce is considering special taxes and other deterrents on
the sale of fatty, sugary and salty foods. The Australian federal government
must rule out a new tax on Vegemite, not just guarantee its continued presence
on
supermarket shelves, opposition health spokesman
Peter Dutton said. He said a fat tax
on Vegemite would
be ludicrous.
"We are calling on the Labor government to rule out this absurdity, to make
sure that Australian families won't have to pay a tax on Vegemite," he said. "They
don't need to be served up a menu from the Rudd government about what they need
to eat and drink three meals a day."
Mr Dutton said good information about food was a better answer to the nation's
obesity problem than taxing Vegemite, jams or cheeses.
Scott Driscoll, executive director of the Retailers Association, also labelled
such
moves as "un-Australian" rubbish.
"For a Federal Government task force to be even talk about imposing a tax on
Vegemite for consumers due to salt content is political correctness gone utterly
mad," said Driscoll.
Earlier on Wednesday, Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the iconic spread
was here to stay.
"I am a very happy Vegemite eater and there is no way in the world that Vegemite
would be banned in this country," Ms Gillard said.
"Vegemite is part of being Australian, part of our history, part of our future
and I'll be continuing to wake up in the morning and having it on my toast."
More at www.smh.com.au.
Charge
others SanLu chief says (6 Jan 09)
Sanlu chairwoman Tian Wenhua is likely to face life in prison after pleading
guilty to producing and selling infant formula tainted with the industrial chemical
melamine, Asian newspapers report. Madame Tian has reportedly said that the leaders
of other companies that sold melamine-tainted milk should also be prosecuted
and insisted in court that she did not intentionally sell the tainted product
or cover up the scandal. Last week, the 66-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge
and faces the death penalty or life imprisonment, but lawyers said life imprisonment
is the more likely sentence, the Straits
Times reported. SanLu, the dairy company at the centre of the melamine-in-the-milk
scandal was 43 per cent owned by Fonterra. The tainted milk killed six Chinese
babies and made 294,000 ill last year. Her 14-hour trial took place last week
in Shijiazhuang a city near Beijing where SanLu had its headquarters. Tian, who
was branded a capitalist dog during the Cultural Revolution, clawed her way to
the top of SanLu and has worked for the company for 42 years and been head of
it for the past 21 years.
According to Chinese newspaper Securities Daily, she had not paid enough
attention to a new generation of managers who were eager to prove themselves
and cut corners to achieve results. It is not known when the verdict of the trial
will be announced although Chinese lawyers have reportedly said it could take
a few weeks or even months.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 Australian
food
manufacturers make commitment to limit advertising (5 Jan 09)
Major Australian based food and beverage manufacturers have made available
company action plans which spell out in black and white
how and when they will market a range of their products.
Australian Food and Grocery Council CEO Kate Carnell said that the commitment
is in-line with the Council’s recently announced Responsible Children’s Marketing
Initiative.
“Companies participating in this initiative have publicly committed to advertise
to children under 12, only when it will further the goal of promoting healthy
dietary choices and healthy lifestyles,” Ms Carnell advised. “Participants
have also undertaken to not advertise food and beverage products to children
under
12 in any media unless those products represent healthy dietary choices, consistent
with established scientific or Australian government standards.”
“Signatories to the scheme will now only advertise products in the context of
promoting good dietary habits and physical activity,” she added.
Ms Carnell said that to date eight major multinational food and beverage companies
have signed up to the scheme including: Nestlé Australia Limited, Cereal Partners
Worldwide, Kraft Food Australia/New Zealand, Cadbury Plc, George Weston Limited,
Unilever Australia Limited, Coca Cola South Pacific, and PepsiCo Australia.“The aim in developing the Responsible Children’s Marketing
Initiative is to provide a framework for food and beverage companies to promote
healthy dietary choices and lifestyles to Australian children.”
“There is genuine community concern about specific marketing directed at children
and our hope in initiating this scheme is to legitimately be able to point
to our actions and say; yes industry is hearing the community’s concerns and
this is what we are doing about it,” she said.
More at www.ausfoodnews.com.au.
 Retailers
claim plastic bag reduction campaign is working (5 Jan
09)
Major retail groups say their voluntary campaign to reduce
the use of plastic shopping bags by a fifth is on target to
reach the goal by July. Three of the
country’s largest retail chains – The Warehouse, Progressive Enterprises/Woolworths
and Foodstuffs – signed the Packaging Accord in 2004 to reduce
the use of plastic shopping bags in a five-year initiative. Retailers Association
CEO John Albertson says: “When we launched Make a Difference in July
2007, we asked people to take one bag less each time they shop… “Latest research
conducted by AC Nielsen into consumer attitudes and behaviour finds that shoppers
are now taking on average 5.8 bags down from 6.5 twelve months
earlier.” He says 100 million bags have been taken out of circulation over
the four years of the Accord most of which (86 million) has been achieved in
the
past two years. The research was conducted at the end of 2008 to monitor how
successful the Make
a Difference campaign has been in changing consumer behaviour. The research
shows: • 62% of customers said that they had reduced the number of bags they
use; • 76% say supermarkets are doing more than any other retailer to reduce
use of
bags; • 57% say they had “just enough” or “not enough” plastic bags to meet their
reuse needs (which may be why there has been a 15.4% growth in unit sales of
kitchen
refuse bags); and • 48% occasionally or always use “eco bags.” Mr Albertson
says three-quarters of New Zealanders say they do not support a ban on plastic
bags
but want to be encouraged by retailers not to take bags.
More at NBR's Food
Industry Week.
Fonterra
rejects 'guilty' reports (2 Jan 09)
Dairy giant Fonterra is rejecting reports that the former head
of its Chinese partner company embroiled in the contaminated
milk scandal has admitted charges
punishable by death. China's state news agency Xinhua reported yesterday that
Tien Wenhua, former chairwoman and general manager of the Sanlu Group,
had pleaded guilty to producing and selling fake or substandard products. It
said Tien admitted in court testimony on Wednesday that she had known of problems
with the company's products for 2 months before she told authorities. Three
other executives were reported by the China Daily newspaper to be
facing similar charges, and possible execution if convicted. At least six babies
died
and nearly
300,000 became sick after being fed milk-based infant formula supplied by Sanlu
and 21 other Chinese dairy companies. Fonterra chief executive Andrew Ferrier,
whose company wrote off its 43 per cent Sanlu shareholding for a loss of $201
million, said last night he had heard conflicting reports from the trial. He
would be saddened if Tien were to be convicted, let alone executed. He had
met her two or three times, and Fonterra had enjoyed a good relationship with
her. "She
seemed to live and breathe Sanlu," Mr Ferrier said. "She only wanted the best
for Sanlu and it would be very sad if she's found guilty of any crimes." Xinhua
said Tien told the Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court she had learned
of consumer complaints about milk in mid-May, and led a company team set up
to handle
the case. But she did not submit a written report on the situation to the Government
in Shijiazhuang, the northern Chinese city where Sanlu is based, until August
2. Mr Ferrier said that was the date on which Fonterra's three directors on
the Sanlu board were told that the company's milk products had been contaminated
with melamine.
More at NZ
Herald.
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