Country of Origin

Do you know where your food has come from?

This is an issue that the Green Party is concerned about, for good cause as it turns out.
Have you ever tried to work out where a tin of peaches has come from? Even those packed by Wattie's are to quote the label " made from local and imported ingredients". The sugar in the syrup may have been refined in New Zealand but it is not grown here but where are the peaches themselves from?

My favourite tin of Chef Jelly Meat (Beef and Kidney casserole, yum) is "manufactured by Heinz Wattie's New Zealand Ltd" and made from "meat by-products and meat derived from chicken, beef (including kidney); starch; fish by-product, vegetable protein; gelling agents; colourings; emulsifiers; flavour enhancers; essential minerals; vitamins and taurine." No mention where any of that came from.

Not even fresh fruit and vegetables are reliably labeled with the country of origin. Some of them aren't all that fresh either but that is nothing new. Storing apples and pumpkins, potatoes, onions and garlic has been done for centuries.

Why is this even an issue?

Food grown and manufactured overseas doesn't need to comply with the same rules and regulations as New Zealand grown and manufactured food.
If, for example, you knew that Chinese garlic was grown in ground contaminated by toxins would you chose to eat it? Can you tell the difference when you buy the garlic or consume it as part of a restaurant meal?

Food for thought huh?