The latest OANZ report [1], confirms that New Zealand companies like Tegel are missing out on meeting consumer demand for ethical and sustainably grown produce.
The market for organic food is growing at eleven percent per annum despite its premium pricing. Companies like Bostock�s [2] are listening to consumers. Their chicken flocks thrive on a wholesome diet of certified organic, lush green grass and the pulp from Hawkes Bay organic apples and corn and barley. This is a consumers delight, and all poultry brands� market value would be significantly higher if they listened to consumers demand for more free-range, GE-free, and organic food.
"New Zealand producers like Tegel risk missing out by operating as commodity producers rather than responding to global food tends amongst concerned consumers," said Jon Carapiet, spokesman for GE-Free NZ.
In the past Tegel became a household name and was recognised for avoiding the use of antibiotics and GMOs in chicken feed. Tegel was listed in the green section of the Greenpeace True Food Guide as avoiding GE ingredients. Though their chickens are not GM, they no longer guarantee to source feed that excludes GM crops and GM ingredients in feed [3]. Tegel�s Australian competitor Ingham�s was the subject of a Commerce Commission complaint [4] after it secretly used imported GMO soy in feed while claiming 'No GM ingredients'.
New Zealand shoppers would be disappointed to know that the poultry and dairy industries continue to use imported animal feed made from GE crops. These crops are often heavily sprayed with the herbicide glyphosate, now recognised as a likely cause of cancer in people. The use of GE animal feed is an Achilles heel for New Zealand exporters and our national reputation for high quality food. Europe is likely to require labelling of products made from animals raised on GE-feed.
In the USA the non-GMO grocery sector is the fastest growing part of the market. Tegel's market value and future growth will be stronger if it takes the lead in marketing high quality GE-free, free-range, and ethically produced food.
References
[1] 2016 New Zealand Organic Market Report www.oanz.org [2] http://bostocksorganic.co.nz
[2] http://bostocksorganic.co.nz
[3] http://www.tegel.co.nz/our-poultry
[4] Commerce Commission complaint http://goo.gl/mWbhps
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Jon Carapiet 0210507681 |
