WELLINGTON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- About seven in every 10 New Zealanders want to know where their food comes from through mandatory country of origin labelling (CoOL), according to a survey out Thursday.
The survey was commissioned by consumer advocate group Consumer NZ and the Horticulture New Zealand industry group, and has been picked up by opposition lawmakers to support a law change.
"Seventy-one percent of New Zealanders want to know where their fresh, tinned and frozen fruit and vegetables come from, and 70 percent also want to buy New Zealand-grown," Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman said in a statement.
The survey showed only 9 percent disagreed with mandatory CoOL.
"New Zealand law does not require the country of origin for fruit and vegetables to be disclosed to shoppers at the point of purchase. We want that to change," said Chapman.
He said the industry hoped Parliament would vote the Consumers' Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill through to select committee, where the public could voice their opinions directly to the government.
Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin said the survey showed the current voluntary system was not working.
"Of the 65 percent of people who looked for labelling information on fresh fruit, less than a third found it at all times. The numbers were similar for vegetable buyers," Chetwin said in the statement.
"The results send a clear message to political parties that the law needs to change," she said.
The opposition Green Party, which is pushing the bill, said it would introduce mandatory country of origin labelling for meat, fruit, vegetables and nuts.
Green Member of Parliament Steffan Browning said the Bill was awaiting its first reading in Parliament, likely to be in mid-April.
"New Zealanders have a right to know where their food comes from and to make an informed choice when they buy. It's time to make that a reality," Browning said in a statement.
"Many other countries, including most of our trading partners, have mandatory country of origin labelling for at least some foods. Australia has had a strong mandatory labelling system for many years. We are behind the times in continuing to deny consumers this basic right."
