Country of Origin Labelling
New Zealand is the best producer of meat in the world and Kiwis expect the meat we’re eating to be from New Zealand - and to be told if it is not!
Approximately 60% of the pork consumed in New Zealand comes from overseas. Around 85% of this imported pork is processed in New Zealand into a range of products including cured pork products.
From February 2022, new food labelling regulations are being introduced in New Zealand to make it easier for consumers to identify where fresh pork and cured pork is from. Under these regulations, cured pork includes all types of bacon and ham, including prosciutto, pickled pork and other preserved pork products that contain at least 66 percent of whole pieces of pork.
Note: imported pork processed into other products in New Zealand, including marinated pork and sausages, are not covered by the regulations because they fall outside the cured pork definition. They are still only required to be labelled with the name of the New Zealand manufacturer or retailer, although they must not mislead the consumer as to the origin of the meat.
NZPork would like to see clearer labelling on all imported pork products and continues to advocate for provisions to include country of origin labelling for ALL pork products.
Labelling recommendations for wholesalers and retailers
Labelling can be confusing for processed pork products including cured pork. This is especially true when the product is processed in a different country to where the animal has been raised. To make it easier for consumers to choose New Zealand pork and pork products, NZPork recommends wholesalers and retailers:
- Use the term 'born and raised in New Zealand' where this applies
◾ For example 'Made from New Zealand pork, and raised in New Zealand'
- Use of the NZPork 'country of origin' labels on New Zealand pork or pork products from pork born and raised in New Zealand. Consumers are guaranteed to by buying 100% NZ produced pork when they see these labels.
Marinated pork and sausages
As marinated pork and sausages are not covered by the new regulations, we believe that consumers might be misled by current labels such as ‘Made in New Zealand’ or ‘Locally Made’ when in fact the product contains imported pork.
While these products are not specifically covered by the new regulations, they are covered by the general provisions of the Fair Trading Act1986 (sections 9, 10 and 13) regarding misleading and false representations. Wholesalers who process imported pork into(for example) marinated pork and sausages are advised to remove any statements that might be seen to mislead the consumer on the pork’s country of origin.
Similarly, we strongly encourage wholesalers who process New Zealand(born and raised) pork into marinated pork or sausages to use the labelling recommendations above to highlight to consumers that it is a 100% New Zealand born and raised product.
Wording for marinated pork can be described as ‘New Zealand pork marinated in New Zealand’. And pork sausages can be described as ‘New Zealand pork sausages, made from pork born and raised in New Zealand’.
