WELLINGTON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- A bill that allows New Zealand consumers to know where food products come from have been passed in Parliament, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said on Thursday.
The Consumers' Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill introduces mandatory labelling to provide information about the country of origin of foods.
"This labelling scheme enables consumers to make more informed decisions at the supermarket, by telling them where their food comes from," Faafoi said.
"New Zealand consumers want to be well informed so we're pleased to have been able to make this bill proceed," Faafoi said.
Some members of the food industry have also been asking for country of origin labelling, which helps them to fairly identify foods produced in New Zealand and levels the playing field for producers, the minister said.
Foods covered under the bill include fresh or frozen fruit, vegetables, fish, seafood and meat including cured pork products such as ham and bacon.
Food Safety Minister Damien O'Connor said that the scheme has been designed to be easy and cheap to set up and run.
"That's why the requirements apply only to foods with one ingredient and that are fresh, frozen, unprocessed or minimally processed, for example, cut, filleted or minced meat," O'Connor said.
However, the bill has to be useful for the industry into the future so it will allow the extension of country of origin labelling to other foods if needed at some later stage, he said.
