KEY POINTS:
Shoppers worried about which country their groceries come from will find much of the current instore labelling baffling.
The Weekend Herald visited a Woolworths and a New World supermarket and a Fruit World fruit and vegetable store yesterday following debate about the Green Party's nationwide "country-of-origin" labelling campaign.
The party was expected to face an uphill battle in getting through compulsory labelling on "single component" foods, such as fruits, vegetables, seafoods and meats.
But the Greens' safe food spokeswoman Sue Kedgley said it was of overwhelming public concern in light of international scandals relating to unsafe food from China.
The stores were not obliged to state country-of-origin on goods. But a growing demand from the public has seen the labelling become more common.
Foodstuffs NZ, which operates New World and Pak 'n' Save supermarkets, is to announce an updated policy next week. Country-of-origin was voluntarily stated on the new labelling of its Pam's prepackaged products, said executive manager Melissa Hodd.
"We are assessing how we might be able to provide that information on fresh product," she said.
Progressive Enterprises, which operates Foodtown, Woolworths and Countdown outlets, was not available for comment.
In yesterday's study, some single component products in the supermarkets were labelled with the country-of-origin and others weren't.
A $4.99 bag of organic oranges in New World Victoria Park in Auckland did not show where they were grown, but an employee's check with the boss revealed the fruit was from Australia.
A worker at Woolworths in Grey Lynn in Auckland initially said a bag of tomatoes was from New Zealand, because a label on the front said they were packed in Auckland, but a closer look showed they also came from across the Tasman.
Prepackaged food, such as tinned beans, bagged walnut halves and bacon rashers, varied in the detail given. Many gave the generic terms local and/or imported ingredients.
The Kiwi brand middle bacon might have appeared to some to be 100 per cent local but it was made of local and imported ingredients.
The Tasti walnut halves were packed in New Zealand but the fine print says only that the contents were imported.
Neither supermarket stated the origin of loose garlic bulbs or fresh ginger on the shelf and the Woolworths checkout operator did not know where the garlic was from. Made in China was printed on the tag of prepackaged garlic at both stores.
At Fruit World Ponsonby, the price label above the garlic and ginger showed the products were from China and Thailand respectively.
The papayas were labelled as Fijian, however signs for cherries, pluot plums and white peaches simply read "imported".
Fruit World director Peter Pan said he was surprised the branch used the term "imported" and would investigate the signage. The chain's print advertising labelled all products not locally produced.
Where's it from?
There is no obligation for food for sale to be labelled with where it's from.
Green Party safe food spokeswoman Sue Kedgely says the issue is of overwhelming public concern, with some wanting to boycott food from countries with poor safety records.
It is petitioning for country-of-origin labelling on "single component" foods, such as fruits, vegetables, meats and seafoods.