Vote of confidence for NZ bacon producers

Today’s commitment by Kiwi to sell only 100% New Zealand farmed bacon highlights New Zealanders preference for local produce. Kiwi will be the first of the major brands to commit solely to 100% New Zealand grown product.

“This is a resounding vote of confidence in New Zealand’s pork producers by a major manufacturer,” says Sam McIvor, CEO, New Zealand Pork.

“Goodman Fielder research released today shows a staggering 84% of New Zealand consumers prefer to buy NZ farmed bacon. However, consumers are still not easily able to tell what the origins are of the 36,000 tonnes of imported pork, bacon and ham that that arrive in New Zealand every year.”

“I congratulate Kiwi on its commitment to the local industry which also underlines consumer’s preference for 100% New Zealand bacon and helps shoppers make an informed choice about where the product is from and how it is farmed.

“Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in where their food comes from, and how it is produced and prepared. For this reason we support all efforts to improve labelling, particularly identifying country of origin, and we will continue our work to ensure that New Zealand produce is easily identifiable.

“It is a significant concern that most New Zealanders are simply not aware of where their pork, bacon or ham originates. Over 700,000 kilograms of imported pork products hit shop shelves every week and there is often no way to know where it’s from,” he says.

Consumers can have confidence in New Zealand grown pork, bacon and ham. New Zealand farmers last year committed to ensuring local produce would be at the forefront of global animal welfare by phasing out gestation stalls ahead of international competitors. This builds on world class animal health, food safety and environmental standards.

Facts

· The average Kiwi consumes 8.5 kilograms of imported bacon, ham and pork every year and often unaware of where it came from or under what conditions it was produced

· To be sure they’re buying NZ pork, bacon and ham consumers should look for the 100% NZ labels, or the words “grown in” or “farmed in New Zealand”.

· Most pork (product weight) imported into New Zealand came from North America (51.8%) , Europe (24.8%), Australia (23.2%) with increasing small amounts coming from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong

· Buying local product puts more money into the local economy. For every dollar paid to a local pig farmer another $1.92 goes into the economy. Every dollar spent on imported pork only contributes another 78 cents

· To provide assurance to consumers the pork industry has implemented a nationwide independent on-farm welfare audit administered by AssureQuality.