The Timaru Herald

Jewellery businesses face probes after complaints

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The complaints not assessed further by the Commerce Commission were outlined in its response.

In a complaint from 2018 a customer said they were shown an item of jewellery in store and told a price which matched the price on the label.

When they went to pay for the item an additional amount was added. They were told this was due to fluctuatio­ns in the exchange rate.

The customer questioned the rationale, considerin­g they were purchasing the item at a store, not importing it.

The customer wondered whether the price would have decreased if the exchange rate had been in their favour.

In one of the four Pascoes complaints a customer said a wedding set purchased with a five-year diamond guarantee had one diamond fall out within one year and a second diamond fall out within three years.

The customer said that they returned the set, but Pascoes said this was a matter of wear and tear and not covered under the diamond guarantee. Pascoes allegedly advised the customer that the set was not for everyday wear.

The customer said Pascoes offered to cover the repair but said that it would charge the customer if it occurred again.

Pascoes would not refund the set but offered store credit, the customer said.

The company did not respond to requests for comment.

Since 2012 the Commerce Commission has undertaken five investigat­ions into Michael Hill and none into Pascoes. Experts say the sodium nitrite commonly used in preserved meats is as big a health concern as fat and sugar.

Campaigner­s in the UK have called for action to raise awareness of cancer risks from products such as bacon and ham, saying the nitrites used to preserve the meat can be deadly.

In a joint statement, a senior food scientist, cardiologi­st and nutritioni­st said the issue should be taken as seriously as fat and sugar levels in food.

Bacon is most commonly processed using sodium nitrite, which the World Health Organisati­on (WHO) has linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer.

It helps to preserve the meat by eliminatin­g bacteria, but also helps to keep the bacon pink.

When meat processed using sodium nitrite – sometimes listed as ‘‘Preservati­ve (250)’’ – is cooked and eaten it creates carcinogen­s called nitrosamin­es, cardiologi­st Aseem Malhotra said.

‘‘When it comes to nitrosamin­es, there are no ifs, nor buts; they are carcinogen­ic.

‘‘Yet, despite these facts, the vast majority of bacon on sale today still contains these dangerous carcinogen­s.’’

In New Zealand, the use of nitrites is regulated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). They can only be added to specified foods, and can’t exceed maximum levels given in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

However, there are other ways to preserve meat. World-renowned Parma ham has been made without nitrites for a quarter of a century, and some New Zealand producers have been making nitrite-free bacon for years.

Auckland-based Hendersons Fine Food makes bacon using just three ingredient­s – ham, salt and sugar.

The company was set up in 1990 and general manager William Curd said its philosophy was keeping bacon as simple as possible.

‘‘The reason we went down this path was that our company wanted to give consumers the option to reduce their nitrite intake where they have concerns,’’ he said.

It’s not just boutique players offering consumers nitrite-free options.

Kiwi Bacon is owned by Hellers, New Zealand’s largest bacon, ham and smallgoods manufactur­er. All of its bacon is made from free-farmed New Zealand-reared pork, without any chemical preservati­ves, including sodium nitrite.

The WHO has classified processed meats – including bacon, ham, frankfurte­rs and salami – as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is strong evidence they can cause cancer.

In 2015, the organisati­on published evidence that linked processed meats to 34,000 cases of colorectal (bowel) cancer worldwide each year. Nitrites and nitrosamin­es were identified as the likely cause.

Bowel cancer is the second highest cause of cancer death in New Zealand, according to the Ministry of Health, and kills around 1200 Kiwis every year.

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