Organics Aotearoa New Zealand say foods are being labelled organic that aren't, and that MPI "seem not to care".

Widespread abuse of the term "organic" in New Zealand means consumers are unwittingly eating food tainted by chemicals, the organic sector says.

The national umbrella organisation Organics Aotearoa New Zealand has been talking to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) for more than a year about the need to regulate to protect certified organics producers.

OANZ chairman Brendan Hoare said MPI have told the organisation that organics regulation was not a priority, and that it would not commit to further discussions until 2017.

John Selkirk OANZ chairman Brendan Hoare thinks New Zealanders are being duped.

"Basically, MPI have shrugged their shoulders at the fact that there is proven widespread abuse of the term organic in the domestic market," Hoare said.

Products that are marketed as organic but aren't are "everywhere" according to Hoare.

"There are restaurants claiming organic, there are all sorts of ranges of products saying they've got organic ingredients - there's no third party verification required.

"We get examples of this all the time - or it could be local growers claiming organic produce at farmers' markets."

OANZ has support from industries across the board; wine, dairy, beef and lamb, horticulture, as well as the Federation of Maori Authorities.

"So why MPI would say no to regulation is dumbfounding - we don't know what their priorities are, but we're not one."

"They seem not to care that New Zealanders are being duped."

The organic community has self-policed in the past, but is too big to do so now.

"We're one of the last in the OECD to regulate - it's all been done, and most markets in the world acknowledge that this is a fast-growing sector that has meaning and is worth backing."

Regulation is not a complicated exercise, and could be as simple as saying the use of the word "organic" meant food had to comply with a certain standard, Hoare said.

No regulation means consumer confidence is lacking, and people are reluctant to invest in the industry, Hoare said.

TOO EASY TO FAKE IT?

Green Party spokesman for agriculture Steffan Browning has called on the Government to safeguard the value of the term "organic". For him, waiting until 2017 to look at the issue was "simply unacceptable".

Companies can become "certified organic", and by doing this it means they meet an agreed international standard during production, processing, and selling their products.

A certified organic company's food is free of additives, and has not relied on chemicals during growth.

But certification isn't compulsory - and there is no legal requirement for claims of uncertified organic produce to be genuine, Browning said.

Marketing claims and the use of the term "organic" on food labels are controlled through the Fair Trading Act, which is enforced by the Commerce Commission.

Under the Fair Trading Act, representations about food must not mislead a consumer, and the producer must be able to demonstrate products are produced organically.

But the industry says there are products falsely-labelled as "organic" on the domestic market.

That is "a major problem" for the organic sector, and for consumers who deserve to know they are eating the genuine thing, Browning said.

"Consumer demand for organic produce is growing rapidly worldwide.

"New Zealand needs to protect its share of the organic market, and strong regulations are a vital part of protecting and growing this market."

Labour's primary industries spokesman Damien O'Connor said New Zealand was lagging behind the rest of the world in this area.

Urgent action was needed to protect the $150 million organic food and beverage industry by establishing a certification regime, he said.

"Kiwi consumers have a right to know whether the products they eat and drink truly are organic, and what country they have been produced in."

Hoare said MPI had claimed there was no "serious risk to the health and wellbeing of consumers or to (existing) trade" from lack of regulation.

A spokeswoman for MPI said it did not provide a government regulated certification scheme, but there were a number of voluntary private programmes that producers could use to certify their organic products.

Food products labelled and marketed as organic had to comply with the Fair Trading Act, which required food labels and marketing claims to be truthful, accurate and not mislead a customer.

"Producers must also be able to demonstrate that products labelled as 'organic' are produced organically," the spokeswoman said.

Anyone who had any concerns about the organic claims on products in New Zealand should file a complaint with the Commerce Commission, she said.



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