Tough import laws block health foods

Strict new rules aimed at keeping bugs and pests out of New Zealand are making it almost impossible to import such staples as chickpeas, say organic food importers.

Heat treatment of items such as chickpeas is becoming much more common as suppliers struggle to meet the stringent import standards introduced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry over the past 12 months, said Austin Holden, of wholesale supplier Chantal Foods in Hawkes Bay.

But heat treatment essentially killed the goodness in beans and meant they could not be used for sprouts, he said.

"It's reducing things to a little pack of starch with protein and oils that are turned rancid."

The company had not stocked chickpeas for months because it could not obtain any that did not have to be heat-treated.

MAF rules also meant a recent shipment of lentils had to be "cleaned" by a company here because a few stray wheat or barley seeds were found in each sack, adding further cost, said Mr Holden.

"It's not like a single wheat seed is going to dive into the nearest paddock and spray some exotic fungus around the place."

David Spalter, managing director of Huckleberry Farms and Auckland's Harvest wholefood shops, said customers were not happy buying beans that would not sprout.

"We're going to wait and see how bad it gets, but if we have to stock heat-treated lines, we'll have to label them as such," he said.

Noel Josephson, of wholefood importer Ceres Enterprises, said the list blocked by the ever-tougher import regime kept getting longer.

Testing and treatment either here or in the country of origin were also pushing up the price.

"The gap in price between other food and organic food is growing ever wider," Mr Josephson said.

MAF met importers last week to discuss the issues, but said it consulted widely on import standards before implementing them.

"There are good, science-based reasons why MAF will not allow import of products that can't meet plant hygiene requirements," said spokesman Phil Barclay.

"The basic situation is that these imports either meet phytosanitary standards or they need to be heat-treated."

Beans were a particular issue because they posed several viral risks that could affect a variety of other beans and peas.

Heat treatment

Heat treatment kills the goodness in beans, say organic food importers.

Treated beans cannot be used for sprouts.

MAF says beans pose viral risks that could affect other beans and peas.