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is asking for single ingredient fresh fruit and vegetables to have mandatory Country of Origin Labelling. This does not mean we are asking for complicated label changes, or every piece of fresh fruit and vegetable to have individual labels. The sensible approach is to label the bin the fresh fruit or vegetables are in. And really, how much does it cost to write on a piece of cardboard? “We want there to be a law requiring CoOL for fresh fruit and vegetables to be disclosed to shoppers at the point of purchase. The Government has started that process and, on behalf of the 5500 commercial fruit and vegetable growers we represent, we will work through the process to see this happen.” The polls on country-of-origin labelling also support the move in fresh meat. NZ Pork, which represents local pig farmers, says 60% of pork sold in New Zealand is imported from 20 countries around the world. New Zealanders expect that the meat they buy in New Zealand is born and raised here, but that’s not always the case. COVER STORY “Based on our research, New Zealanders would be very surprised to learn how high the levels of imported food products are in some popular categories,” chairman Ian Carter says. “The expectation of Kiwi shoppers is that, if a product isn’t from here, they should be told where it is from so they can make an informed choice.” NZ Pork is currently refreshing its labelling for New Zealand-grown pork products to emphasise both country of origin and its PigCareTM accreditation programme. The PigCareTM label will highlight that pork products are sourced from pigs that have been The sensible approach is to label the bin the fresh fruit or vegetables are in


FT-May17-eMag
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