New Zealand Special Agricultural Trade Envoy Mike Petersen has been advocating for an authenticity brand similar to Ireland’s Origin Green to give consumers confidence NZ food products met welfare, environmental and quality standards.
The NZ story was discussed by MPI’s strategic advisory Group before Christmas, but Petersen said competing food producers were already developing their own authenticity stories.
The Ministry for Primary Industries has confirmed it was formally looking at the value and relevance of a NZ story for our primary industries, but stressed its work had just started.
“The work has only just commenced and it is too early to talk in any detail about it,” an MPI spokesperson said.
“In coming months, the Ministry will talk to sector representatives to determine the appetite for such an approach and to firm up the way forward if industry is supportive of the idea.”
Petersen said the primary sector could no longer trade on the assumption the world wanted to buy the food we produced and pay a premium for it.
“That is not the case. We need to demonstrate what are credentials are and we need to have proof that what we say, we do and how our food is produced.
“We need to authenticate it.”
Petersen said exporters were increasingly seeing merits in such a brand, but they needed to own and develop it rather than have a Government imposed scheme.
The Government would have a role providing assurance and as an independent auditor.
The MPI spokesperson saw a NZ primary industry story as a way to leverage the quality, sustainability and traceability of NZ products, the integrity of our food safety system, and the innovation of our food and fibre producers to help differentiate and position NZ’s primary products in export markets.
Petersen said participants in the Te Hono programme, representing leaders of a sizeable chunk of our primary industry, would also discuss the merits in the coming months.
Fonterra and several other companies were being proactive by developing their own authenticity brands, a move welcomed by Petersen.
Unlike every other country in the world, NZ exported 90% of the food it produced and Petersen said producers in those countries were developing their own authenticity brands which he saw as our competition.
The United Kingdom’s red tractor brand was an example of domestic producers encouraging local consumers to buy their product by authenticating welfare, environmental and product management claims.
“It’s got to happen quickly. In my view we need a programme within six months or we run the risk of falling behind.”
Petersen said any NZ story brand should not replicate Ireland’s Origin Green but improve on it.
The Origin Green brand is a commitment from Irish farmers, food and beverage manufacturers to sustainable production, to reduce emissions, waste, energy use and improve social responsibility.
So far 90,000 farms have been audited and carbon foot-printed and 470 food and beverage manufacturers representing 95% of total food and drink exports, were registered to participate.
