According to the Commerce Commission, country-of-origin information should be clearly linked to the relevant food.
This is particularly important for pork, as cured products such as ham and bacon have been covered by New Zealand’s country-of-origin food labelling regulations.
Retailers must clearly show where the pork comes from, either on the packaging or product itself, or on signage beside products sold at a deli counter. At the same time, shoppers shouldn't have to read the fine print to figure out what is local.
The 100 percent New Zealand Pork label has made it easy to identify pork from pigs born and raised here to New Zealand production standards, helping people back Kiwi farmers and make an informed choice.
More than 95 percent of commercially produced New Zealand pork comes from PigCare-certified farms. The programme has gone beyond the Code of Welfare's minimum requirements and has been regularly reviewed, with input from veterinarians, farmers, industry, and government, to support good-practice farm management.
Brent Kleiss, chief executive of NZPork, said PigCare has given shoppers clear, credible assurance that certified New Zealand pork is raised right here in New Zealand and that these farms have met high standards covering pig health, behaviour, housing and day-to-day care.
“Certified farms are audited annually against these requirements, giving shoppers confidence that PigCare reflects verified on-farm practices rather than simply a marketing claim,” said Kleiss.
“Consumers tell us they increasingly want to know where their food comes from and how it was produced.”
For retailers, PigCare can also be a meaningful farm assurance programme and a strong reason to range and promote New Zealand pork. They can communicate that value by making country of origin and certification information easy to spot, using the 100 percent New Zealand Pork label consistently, and equipping staff to explain what PigCare stands for.
Kleiss added that clear certification and labelling matter especially because around 60 percent of the pork eaten in New Zealand is imported, and no other country meets New Zealand’s standards in every respect.
PigCare confirms audited on-farm welfare practices, while the 100 percent New Zealand Pork label confirms local origin. Together, they build trust in New Zealand pork, bacon and ham on supermarket shelves.
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