Blog
Friday, 3 February, 2012
I am very concerned about the Food Bill, despite the Hon. Kate Wilkinson's assurances that there is nothing to be concerned about. No matter how honourable her intentions, it is not what the Minister' says, but what is written in the Bill that will be enforced.
I understand that Part 4, Clause 275 of the proposed Bill gives power to enter a premises without a search warrant and any reasonable force for the purposes of entry and search may be used. On page 210 there is apparently an allowance for being able to break open anything at the premises. One would understand this if the officers were looking for harmful chemical substances, but for food it seems to be quite the overkill. It seems like legislation for a police state rather than a democracy.
Another main concern is that the Bill is very vague. There appear to be too many complicated compliance requirements that could close down small businesses with excessive red tape, including niche restaurants, and organic and artisan food providers that are such a special part of our culture. The red tape will also discourages entrepreneurs and more holistic business enterprises in the food industry.
The definition of food, in this Bill, is apparently anything a person ingests. This is ominous for those who take responsibility for their own health and purchase vitamins and organic and free-range food from sources other than the major conglomerates. I don’t want the government to decide what food or vitamins are “safe” for me. That is one of my rights. The majority of us don’t want a nanny state monitoring our personal choices on what food and vitamins we ingest. Government has no business in our private lives.
The proposed Food Bill gives more governmental control, under the banner of “Food Safety”. The title of the Bill seems to be a PR line, which, in my view, doesn’t give the real reason for the Bill, because the legislation apparently wasn’t written by New Zealanders but comes from overseas as part of a compliance to be able to "freely trade" internationally. There is nothing free about it. Many who are voting on it have probably not even read it. Perhaps they hear “Food Safety” and think, ‘That sounds OK.’
We need our own laws in NZ, not 600-page laws that have been drafted in other countries where it is well-known lobbyists such as pharmaceutical corporations and seed monopolies contribute so much to overseas politics that they practically write the law (for greater control) themselves.
Added compliance costs for small businesses will not be sustainable for some. They are already over burdened with bureaucracy. We are all keen on ensuring food establishments are sensibly hygienic but burdening small business with excessive compliance costs is not the way to do it.
The Minister states the government won’t be concerned about sausage sizzles or home baking sales, yet the same items will come under scrutiny in a restaurant that almost always has strict hygiene rules in place. The same goes for bartering. Larger-scale bartering will attract more regulations than smaller-scale bartering. If food safety is of concern, then why the double standards? Food is either safe, or it isn’t. How can the Minister tell that the humble fund-raising snarler sold at the front of a hardware store is any safer than one sold in a restaurant? Or is this just a way to collect more tax from restaurants because they are there every day?
The Minister states the government does not intend to over-regulate the food industry, but also states the industry will be required to “meet more robust requirements and operate under a regulated food control plan.” The devil is in the detail, (of which there is plenty) and her carefully crafted words seem to simply spell out More Bureaucracy.
Nor, in its current form, does it seem that the Bill will prevent food related illnesses. To address those concerns it is more appropriate for our laws, written in simple language, to focus on common-sense hygiene and cleanliness requirements (which the majority of restaurants are scrupulous about anyway), and eradicate synthetic additives in food, rather than overburdening small business with mind-numbing daily audits and box-ticking.
Proper Food Safety law should also focus on prohibiting the import of pollens that are suspected of destroying our Kiwi Fruit industry, prohibiting raw pork imports from offshore countries that have Foot & Mouth disease and could destroy our farming industries, and, above all, prohibiting GMO seed from our shores. Legislation like that would alleviate the concern of the majority of New Zealanders, protect our food industry and give a lasting worthwhile legacy to future Kiwis.
Keep laws in New Zealand simple and written for our culture, our land, and our people. Our government should be true to our country and New Zealanders, rather than foreign interests. Freedom for an individual and a country comes at a cost personally, nationally and internationally. Sometimes that cost is letting go of a “free trade” deal, which was never genuinely free in the first place. Let us ensure that, as a nation, we don’t compromise our integrity, freedom, and independence.
Mary Hobbs was the publisher of the award-winning New Zealand Outside magazine for ten years and is based at Aoraki/Mount Cook and also Sumner. Her fifth book, published in 2010, Matagouri and Other Pricks, The Journey to Aoraki/Mount Cook, highlighted, among other adventures, the negative effects of intrusive bureaucracy in small business and the eventual triumph over it, followed in 2011 by a book for Christchurch, Christchurch Dreaming. She is married to restauranteur and mountain and ski guide Charlie Hobbs.
Your comments welcome:
Wednesday, 18 January, 2012
It's been another stunning day at Aoraki/Mount Cook.
Yet these days it doesn't seem to matter where you live, there often seems to be a certain amount of pressure to achieve certain goals and targets we have set for ourselves and to keep moving on at a fast pace. However, in a place as stunning as Aoraki/Mount Cook, the immediate environment is impossible to ignore. This is a great thing, for one of the richest things in life is to simply be able to take the time to admire nature's beauty wherever you are. There's nothing quite like it.
Tuesday, 17 January, 2012
Welcome to 2012! This year one of my resolutions is to keep my readers updated on the latest news through this log on the website.
Every year is a journey and 2012 will be no exception for any of us, I'm sure.
My usual inclination is to rush into the new year expecting everything to be done within the first few weeks.That includes all working spaces, house and garden cleaned out, with all the greatest Feng Shui principles ushered in, several hot new books on the front burners and everything totally organised!
However, unless the spirit moves me, as it did last year (to write Christchurch Dreaming), I think I may devote the first few months of the year to getting well organized. It's always an important first step before writing something new.
For me, as a Cantabrian with around 9500 earthquakes that have occured in our area over around 14 months, a vital part of "getting organized" is being as self-sufficient and as independent as possible. In this way, if unexpected emergencies crop up, then we're in a better position to be able to help.
First on the list is organizing the garden, doing a good spring-clean and getting on with the job of creating and writing new book (and this column/blog on topical local and international issues) that will inspire, along with some great adventures in the hills.
Whatever your goals this year are, I wish you well with them. Just remember, with enough grit and determination, we are capable of anything!