Kiwi as foods not quite made in NZ
Think your favourite food is made or grown in New Zealand? Brace yourself for some bad news.
In the aftermath of the coronavirus lockdown, many Kiwis are making a conscious effort to support local businesses and brands.
There are Facebook groups connecting Kiwi shoppers with local makers, and a large-scale media campaign encouraging New Zealanders to back small and medium enterprises.
There’s even an online platform for potato lovers to pledge their support to local growers in the face of a potentially devastating influx of imported frozen chips.
We’ve never been more aware of the impact our purchasing decisions can make.
But what about the products we’ve been buying for years, the foods we throw into the shopping trolley on autopilot?
All may not be as it seems.
Wattie’s potato pom poms, apricots and asparagus
Founded in Hawke’s Bay in the 1930s, Wattie’s has been owned by Heinz since 1992. Given its long history and strong reputation in New Zealand – and the fact we’ve had almost 30 years to forget about its sale to Heinz – news that Wattie’s potato pom poms are made in Belgium, its apricots are sourced from South Africa and its asparagus from Peru may be hard to swallow. To its credit, Wattie’s – or Heinz – is pretty good about labelling. Fruit and veges grown here are clearly labelled ‘‘Hawke’s Bay’’ or ‘‘NZ Grown’’. If it doesn’t say that on the front of the tin or bag, it’ll say ‘‘made in somewhere else’’ on the back.
Tip Top lemonade ice blocks
Yes, you read that right. Former owner Fonterra sent production of Tip Top’s classic summer treat across the Tasman in 2017. Although it was meant to be a temporary measure to keep up with a surge in demand, the packaging still declares at least some of the ice blocks made
Sunny Hill kumara chips are made in China. in Australia. Either we’re buying 3-year-old stock or they’re still churning them out over the ditch.
Keri orange juice
Keri’s OJ offering might be made with ‘‘nature’s zesty oranges’’ but they’re not New Zealand’s zesty oranges. The Keri Juice Co brand is actually owned by Coca-Cola Amatil and the juice is made here ‘‘from quality imported ingredients’’. Points for employing Kiwis, though.
Bacon/pork products
Alas, when it comes to bacon and pork products, ambiguity seems to be the aim of the game. About 60 per cent of all pork eaten in New Zealand doesn’t come from pigs raised here but is imported from countries as far afield as Belgium, China and Poland. And our lax country-of-origin labelling laws, which are unlikely to be improved anytime soon, mean manufacturers can fudge their way through by declaring a product ‘‘Made in New Zealand from local and imported ingredients’’. Even if the pork itself is from Europe, if the salt and other ingredients used during curing a block of bacon are locally-sourced, that label will make the grade. Unless a packet of bacon or pork roast carries a ‘‘100 per cent New Zealand Pork’’ sticker or clearly states the product comes from locally-raised pigs, it’s a lottery.
Some Griffin’s biscuits
Most New Zealanders grew up on Griffin’s biscuits – those of us lucky enough to pass the old factory in
Lower Hutt on our daily travels will remember the smell as well as the taste. Unfortunately, the ovens went cold at that factory years ago and many Griffin’s biscuits, including Belgian Cremes, Lemon Treats, Melting Moments and Swiss Cremes, are now made in Thailand. Good news, though, if you like to dunk a Gingernut or Chocolate Chippie in your tea – those are still made in Auckland.
Ti Ora tea
If you’ve seen the Ti Ora ad or picked up a packet of its teabags, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a Kiwi company. The name is te reo Ma¯ori for ‘‘tea of wellness’’, the logo includes a kiwi and the ad welcomes potential customers to ‘‘New Tealand’’. But while the tea is blended and packed locally, and the brand was founded here, it’s owned by Jacobs Douwe Egberts, the company behind Moccona, Bell and dozens of other beverage brands. Again, points for creating Kiwi jobs.
Sunny Hill kumara chips
Where else could kumara chips come from, you ask? China. Sunny Hill’s offering is made in China, from Chinese-grown kumara (who knew that was a thing?), and sent to New Zealand where they sit alongside chips made from homegrown kumara for pretty close to the same price. However, Nutritious Foods, which uses the Sunny Hill brand, is New Zealand owned and operated. On its website, it says the machinery needed for its ‘‘innovative cooking technique’’ isn’t yet available here. In time, the company hopes to have strong enough sales to justify building a plant in New Zealand.