Kiwi consumer advocates say there is cause for concern in New Zealand following a major media investigation in Australia into food supply.
The investigation, by the ABC's Four Corners programme, found only a fraction of imported food was inspected, with testing for contaminating also on the decline.
Over eight months, hundreds of products across multiple brands were tested, finding evidence of contamination and casting doubt on where some of these products come from.
"We do share a lot of the same products as Australia," said Consumer NZ researcher Belinda Castles.
A major ABC investigation into Australia's food supply found evidence of undeclared ingredients in some products, and issues over country-of-origin claims. (Source: 1News)
"I think there is a little bit of cause for concern without scaremongering."
Processed tomatoes raised the most concern, in the investigation, with one in four failing forensic country of origin testing.
The investigation specifically points to Leggo's, a brand also sold in New Zelaand.
Despite claims their tomatoes are Australian grown, 80% of products tested had tomatoes from China, some allegedly from a region where forced labour is used.
The owner of Leggo's, Simplot, denied the test results and said it had a trusted supplier.
The investigation also raised concerns over food safety, with claims of metal shavings and mouse fur in some food.
Castles said this was something New Zealand sometimes experienced too.
"Usually these get seen and New Zealand Food Safety will put a recall in place but its usually after the fact so it's reactive."
New Zealand Food Safety, a branch of the Ministry for Primary Industries, had a strong track record of keeping Kiwis safe, said deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.
"Given the volumes of food imported to New Zealand, incidences of related food safety issues remain rare. It is underpinned by robust science and responsible regulation, but it is not a static system," he said.
"New Zealanders enjoy an increasingly wide range of imported foods coming from many more countries, and we are committed to adapting our systems to meet increasingly complex supply chains, changing consumer preferences, and developing technologies."
New Zealand Food Safety provided 1News with a list of recent changes to the way it managed food imports as well as a range of other measures it was looking to implement.
It said it has strengthened imported food checks by improving border clearance processes, integrating laboratory testing systems, tightening requirements for some high-risk foods and introducing new tools to monitor clearance performance.
Further work includes better training for border officers, clearer guidance for importers and completing the rollout of an integrated laboratory reporting system.
Country-of-origin and food labelling claims remain regulated by the Commerce Commission under the Fair Trading Act and the Origin of Food Regulations.
SHARE ME