Imported fruit and vegetables not tested at border, say Greens

The Green Party is calling for urgent testing regime at the border, following confirmation that New Zealand does not test imported fruit or vegetables at the border for pesticide residues or other contamination, Green Party food spokesperson Sue Kedgley said today.

Last year New Zealand imported 145,000 tonnes of fruit and 41,800 tonnes of vegetables. Minister of Food Safety Kate Wilkinson confirmed, in response to a written question from Ms Kedgley, that no consignments of imported fruit and vegetables were inspected at the border during this time period for residues or contamination.

“This means we have no idea whether there are illegal pesticides or other contaminants in the thousands of tonnes of fruit and vegetables we import into New Zealand each year,” said Ms Kedgley.

“I am concerned that our government does no testing for pesticide residues or contaminants at the border, especially when residues of illegal pesticides and other contaminants have been found in produce from countries that export food to New Zealand.

“We are allowing food to be imported from countries lacking regulated food safety regimes,” said Ms Kedgley.

“And now it turns out New Zealand is not even testing food from these countries at the border."

“Ms Wilkinson’s admission that no imported fruit or vegetables are tested at the border is in stark contrast to the testing regimes of the European Union and Australia,” said Ms Kedgley.

Countries within the European Union test around 10% of all consignments of imported fruit and vegetables, and reject about 10% of all fresh produce tested for pesticide residues; Australia, routinely tests approximately 5% of its imported food.

Ms Kedgley said it was unfair, when local growers have to grow to a high standard, that produce can be imported into New Zealand that hasn’t met any standard, and may contain residues of pesticides that are illegal in New Zealand.

Note: The Government does conduct tests on some imported food for selected hazards, under a recently established Annual Imported Food Monitoring programme, but only once they are on sale in New Zealand, not at the border.

Link to written question regarding food inspected at the border:
http://www.greens.org.nz/misc-documents/food-safety-written-question