Sunday 7th April, 2013
Q+A: Susan Wood interviews Nikki Kaye
Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye announces new food health label regulations on TV One’s Q + A this morning.
Nikki Kaye told host Susan Wood that the new regulation was targeted at the health claims food companies made about
their products. She said this would give consumers greater confidence.
“..what today is about is actually on certain labels we know that some of those claims are not correct, and we will be
assigning a standard which will enable 200 new health claims to be made.”
The standard applies in New Zealand and Australia, and covers claims on food labels ranging from ‘low in fat’ to more
specific claims such as ‘diets high in calcium may reduce the risk of osteoporosis in people 65 years and over.’
“..we have a compliance team within ministry of primary industries. We are world leading in terms of our food systems.
We have over a million tests a year, we have certification systems, so we have a range of ways to police this.”
Nikki Kaye says ministers in Australia and New Zealand rejected a traffic light labelling system warning people off bad
food, because of unintended consequences.
“So if you use the traffic light system, take milk versus fizzy drink. You could end up coming out with a red for milk.”
But she concedes there is room to simplify the system and is working with the industry on a voluntary star rating.
“…and if we go too far in terms of the regulation around labelling, we add cost to the price of food, and that really
hurts low-income families.”
The standard will take effect in New Zealand from 9 May 2013, now that it has been signed off by the Food Safety
Minister. Food companies have three years to fully comply.
Q+A, 9-10am Sundays on TV ONE and one hour later on TV ONE plus 1. Repeated Sunday evening at 11:30pm. Streamed live at www.tvnz.co.nz
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Q+A
SUSAN WOOD INTERVIEWS NIKKI KAYE
SUSAN WOOD
We all care about the food we eat, but how much are we swayed by claims that a certain product will reduce cholesterol,
cause us to lose weight or keep our bones strong? The government is going to crack down on reckless promises and make
food companies back their claims with evidence. Nikki Kaye is the Minister for Food Safety. A very good morning to you.
NIKKI KAYE, Minister for Food Safety
Good morning.
SUSAN So, a new law. You’re addressing a problem. How widespread is the issue of false health claims on food?
NIKKI Well, I think that what’s important is that we are putting in a regulation which will mean that we can have
greater confidence in terms of what is on the labelling of our food.
SUSAN But, I mean, there must be a problem if you’re addressing it.
NIKKI Well, that’s right. So, it’s not only an issue in terms of compliance. We do over a million tests a year,
but then secondly it’s about ..
SUSAN So how many shonky claims are there?
NIKKI Well, again, you don’t know what you don’t know, but what I can tell you is that we find stuff every year
that is shonky. But then secondly, I think what’s-
SUSAN Is it a big percentage of the tests you do?
NIKKI Well, again, the point is that we get a percentage of tests that happen, and obviously there are a group
that are shonky, but what today is about is actually on certain labels we know that some of those claims are not
correct, and we will be assigning a standard which will enable 200 new health claims to be made.
SUSAN Why are you giving them three years to get those labels corrected? It shouldn’t take that long, should it?
NIKKI Well, 50% of our exports are food. We have a whole lot of small producers. If we turned the switch
tomorrow, that would add cost to a whole lot of food producers.
SUSAN It’s taken you 10 years to get to this point - not you personally, I understand - but it seems to move very
slowly.
NIKKI Well, that’s because food is quite complex. So if you take issues of labelling, then, I mean, you look at
the traffic light system - you can end up having unintended consequences if you get it wrong.
SUSAN Is it going to be- I mean, what sort of policing will you have? Remember the Ribena case. 2007. A couple of
school kids do a science experiment and find out there’s not the vitamin C in there. Is that the sort of- I mean, are we
relying on school kids to police this?
NIKKI Well, no. As I said before, we have a compliance team within the Ministry of Primary Industries. We are
world-leading in terms of our food systems. We have over a million tests a year. We have certification systems. So we
have a range of ways to police this.
SUSAN And yet organic food - yesterday’s Herald had a story - organic food- food is being labelled that is not
organic, organic, and people are paying a lot more and getting away with it.
NIKKI Well, I think the point is that we have a range of things within the system to ensure that we police that.
If New Zealanders are concerned, they can ring the Ministry for Primary Industries, and that happens on a regular basis.
SUSAN But you can’t give me a number of the shonky stuff you’re coming out with of those million tests, and you
actually don’t know how many poor claims or wrong claims or bad claims are on our food, do you?
NIKKI Well, the point is we have millions of products, Susan-
SUSAN But you don’t know, do you? Nobody knows.
NIKKI Well, the reality is-
SUSAN Do you know how many shonky claims there are out there? You don’t.
NIKKI Well, you don’t know because we have a system which is if we tested everything, it would add a massive cost
to the price of food. So the way the system works is we have a verification system; we also have over a million tests,
as I’ve said before, which is a huge amount for a small nation. And I think the point is that we do know that when we do
those tests a high proportion of them do come back as correct. So, I mean, I can’t give you the exact percentage, but
what I am telling you is we are world-leading, because we have not only a verification system, we have good labelling.
And what today is about-
SUSAN We could do better, though, couldn’t we? And, look, the Herald would not be running a food column every week
telling us what’s in our food and what stabiliser 471 means if our food was better labelled.
NIKKI Well, I think that’s the point. Today is about actually requiring that there is evidence-based claims for
health benefits in terms of food.
SUSAN OK, bad food. There is a system around traffic light - green means good; red means bad; orange something in
the middle. You’ve rejected that, but what are you going to do to label bad food as not good for your health? Because, I
mean, we’re in the midst of an obesity epidemic.
NIKKI Well, we’re currently looking at a potential rating system. Australia and New Zealand ministers met last
year and rejected the traffic light system, because there are unintended consequences. So if you use the traffic light
system, take milk versus fizzy drink. You could end up coming out with a red for milk.
SUSAN Which is nonsensical.
NIKKI Exactly. So the star rating system that we’re looking at will look at a range of other nutrients, and I
think if we work with industry, if we work with public health organisations, we can come up with a better system.
SUSAN New Zealanders, we consume about 9 grams of salt a day. That’s about a teaspoon and a half. If you reduce that
to a teaspoon, 24% fewer strokes, going on international evidence. What are you doing to get the salt out of our diets?
NIKKI And this is the point. Today’s announcement will enable New Zealanders to have much better information
about the nutrients in-
SUSAN That’s only health claims, though. That’s not getting the bad stuff out.
NIKKI Well, no, it is. That’s the point. If you look at what Uncle Toby’s have done as a result of this
regulation, they’ve reduced the amount of sugar in their cereals by 67 tonnes, Susan. The point is that by having these
labels industry will be, I think, will shift to have much healthier food, because consumers will require it.
SUSAN Doesn’t the whole labelling need an overhaul, though? Doesn’t it need to be really clear that what is in your
food- I mean, you can say, for example, it’s New Zealand made, and it’s 70% made here. It’s not 100%. There’s lots of
confusion around the labelling.
NIKKI Well, again, there are a number of issues, but what I can say to you is today is a big milestone in terms
of a decade of work to ensure that New Zealanders know what is in their food from a healthier perspective, but then
secondly this star rating system will help in terms of simplification..
SUSAN When will we get some sort of star rating system?
NIKKI Well, again, it’s going to be voluntary, but we will be working with industry-
SUSAN And it doesn’t warn people off bad food, does it? You don’t want to warn people off food, do you? Would Coca
Cola get a star?
NIKKI Well, again, it might not, because it will depend what’s in the food. But what I would say to you is the
point is if you get it wrong, if you don’t design your system properly, whether it’s a traffic light system or a star
system, you can send out bad messages.
SUSAN Sure, I get that, but we don’t seem to have a coherent system.
NIKKI Well, I think we do, actually. I think if you look at the amount of testing that goes on, you can actually
see that New Zealand is world-leading from a food-safety perspective. I do agree that we need to have a simpler system.
That’s why the star rating system will help us.
SUSAN Because, really, we’ve got to stop people eating all that bad food, and the health issues and the consequences
that are going to flow from that.
NIKKI Well, I think that’s the point, Susan. This is about choice and more informed consumers, and I think today
is a huge milestone. It’s taken 10 years to get here.
SUSAN Yeah, but this is the worried well. These are people who can afford to buy the high-end stuff. You’re not
talking about people who are probably struggling and buying the processed, cheaper food.
NIKKI That’s a really important point, Susan, and if we go too far in terms of the regulation around labelling,
we add cost to the price of food, and that really hurts low-income families. So the balance here is to provide simpler
labelling, more informed choice, but also not add a whole lot of costs that will hurt low-income families.
SUSAN Nikki Kaye, thanks for your time this morning.
NIKKI Thank you very much.
ENDS