MEA wants to see Mandatory Country of Origin Marks

Media Release 6 December 2007.

MEA wants to see Mandatory Country of Origin Marking.

The New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association, (MEA), is supporting the Green Party in its efforts regarding mandatory country of origin labelling on food being sold in New Zealand and is also calling for origin marking to apply to all products.

"The case for origin marking is clear”, says Chief Executive John Walley. “The fact is that our trading partners require origin marking, many of our consumers and producers want it yet Government resists says a lot about the decision making process in New Zealand”.

Mr. Walley says that few would argue with the commercial value of a strong brand and origin is just one product dimension; any number of which are captured in the shorthand of the brand.

“Consider for moment how hard the commercial brand owners from the Champagne region of France work to keep the term Champagne meaningful in terms of specific usage, never becoming a generic term, and the exclusivity dimension it brings to their individual commercial brands”, says Mr. Walley.

“Brands have many dimensions of quality, safety, traceability and value and they convey complex messages, both positive and negative to consumers. The measure of brand success is the influence the brand has on consumption. But to be effective, even strong brands must be visible at the point where the purchase decision is made. New Zealand, like the Champagne region of France, has much more to win than lose in this “brand battle” of origin as a competitive dimension”.

Mr. Walley says that mandatory origin marking on all products, but particularly on food, enables consumers to make decisions that are important and right for them and it provides commercial brand owners something which they can consistently leverage.

“Brand “trust” probably captures the essence of this discussion. The recent scares surrounding goods and food stuffs made offshore, especially in China, are driving the response to origin marking. It is hard to see why this should be a problem. New Zealand seems to want the world lead on carbon issues, yet deny our consumers the information to make informed choices. It is hard to see any consistency here”.

“The MEA supports all efforts to see the introduction of mandatory country of origin marking”.

ENDS

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