NZ Centre for Political Research

This week's poll asks:

Do you see a need for further regulation in the food industry?

*Further regulation to limit people's small scale initiatives is only being put in place to placate US Corporate bullying for the same. The US food and chemical Corps/Multinationals are pushing various "Friendly" trading partners more and more into submission on this. They don't want independent seed-banks and sources of food generation, especially organic ones. They want legislation that favors their GE and chemical growing techniques with the accompanied attempt at monopolizing the food supply lines through GE and chemical patenting. We should maintain our independence and only enter into free trade deals that respect that and our way of living. Free trade should mean more freedom for all. Not just more freedom for the US Corps to exploit us and dictate to us our food supply and methodology of food production. Lucas

*Is there a problem to be fixed? Answer No. So this bill is not required. Well then, where did all this stupidness come from? Try looking at the WHO World Health Organisation, and the UN United Nations. Both these organisations wish to "control the World" and be in control of the regulations for companies around the world, and are blackmailing countries into becoming part of it. And we thought we were rid of Helen Clark? Not on your life. This whole thing SMELLS really BAD. Neil

*A very sinister turn of events. There could be far more to this bill than we are being told. Another hit to turn us into over controlled semi literate children. Julie

*More socialism, more regulation, more jobs for bureaucrats. So much for enterprise, National. Shame on you and Kate Wilkinson. Monica

*Surely not more regulations. As with dog regulations, building regulations etc. ad infinitum the present regulations are not being used properly. Those who should be overseeing and enforcing these regulations prefer to sit in their office rather than get out on the streets and maybe get their hands dirty. NZ has become a country of over regulation and government and local body employees sitting in offices. This has led to leaky houses, murdered children, dog attacks and rampant crime. When are some of these people going to earn their salaries? Bernie

*Hidden in this bill is a restriction on who may grow food from seed - international corporates wish to control seed growth worldwide.
Beware. Neil

*Allergy to SOY is more serious than gluten intolerance almost all processed food sold in supermarkets are contaminated with SOY. The food processors are poisioning the country with their products. Soy is not needed in this country we have enough protein in our food with out it. It is only used because it is cheap as a filler for processed food. I am allergic to Soy and when I contacted the allergy foundation they in formed me that more than 100 people had contacted them in the last 9 months with a soy allergy. Before being diagnosed my anaphylactic problems had cost the health system thousands of dollars with no outcome. In this respect small boutique food processors rarely use soy and rely on old fashion recipes for their wares. The best thing that this food bill can do is to ban SOY as a food additive and the general health of the country would improve dramatically, with far fewer visits to our doctors with IBS problems and other more seriuus issues would become nonexistent. Graham

*The curent system has been working for 100's of years. The village vege shop grow and sold its on vegetables. The local Butcher had his own slaughter house. None of my very family have died from that system. It will be subject to the local official's. Brian

*Here again another load of regulation that still does nothing to prevent non food substances being put in commercially prepared foods; like coal tar in chocolate biscuits etc. Carolyn

*More government? How does that help? Mark

This week's poll asks:

Do you see a need for further regulation in the food industry?

*Another 'feel good' Socialist idea - "<1% need advice, therefore force 100% to receive - and pay for - advice. Absurd". Geoffrey

*Since the cost of fixing what is a non-existent problem costs many times more than the perceived non-problem, it'd be a total waste of time and money. Of course this is just another bureaucratic attempt at job creation for more bureaucracy. Plus make-work for pollies who do not have any answers to our very real problems. Auntie Podes

*U.N. policy - time we had a revolution. Donald

*Definately NOT. Peter

*Good sharp reading, however didn't notice any mention of the food inspectors and their rights. Rob

*NZ has all the necessary regulations already to deal with any problems without increasing the department. Euan

*If it ain't broke, why fix it. Barry

*This proposed Bill has far wider issues than just food safety. Parts of it are downright scary!!! Pam

*We need to reduce the number of bureaucrats who don't contribute positively to the economy. They invariably come up with stupid "solutions" to problems that either don't exist. or are easily solved without bringing in the overpaid legal fraternity. Murray

*Not the current proposals but some changes are necessary. Graham

*Why don't they just leave us alone - if it aint broke don't fix it. Are these rule makers so bereft of things to do that they have to think up a lot of bureaucratic crap to keep themselves employed. Carolyn

*But we just keep going BaaBaaaBaa and do nothing. Bernie

*My yes needs to be qualified. The problem that is now occuring is the effect of United Nations buerocracy. These new regulation are the thin end of the wedge to come. This is all coming through climate change confrences whereby all countries are to be taxed 1.5% of GDP to pay for all the desk sitters that are going to control every aspect of our live i.e. one world government. This year 2012 in a watershed year for this. Just keep an eye on Europe. Middle East and oil prices! Ian

*No more power to the control freaks who are determined to ruin things for everyone. Christopher

*We don't need these expensive changes, just tweek the existing legislation. Colleen

This week's poll asks:

Do you see a need for further regulation in the food industry?

*Why is JK following slavishly in Labour's footsteps with this piece of totally unneeded piece of legislation. Is he unable to think for himself?? I am extremely upset that the Govebnment wants to tell me what to eat. I am one of the few NZers who knows how to take responsibility for myself. I do NOT need stupid laws to help me do that!!! Jim

*Being forced on NZ by USA in suposed free trade deal!!! Peter

*Classic example of the sudden need to over regulate/control something that humans have been doing centuries without regulation...our people will be needing licenses to cook the family a meal in their own home soon.. Adrian

*If it aint broke dont try and fix it and then make the producers pay for something not required. Greg

*The new Bill could stop anybody from growing even their own food. David

*As shown in the article, why "fix" or "modernise" a system that does not appear to require it! Andrea

*This is a law being encouraged by big businesses to prevent competition from small businesses. John

*As a single operator beekeeper exporting honey and operating under a NZ Food Safety risk management program any more paperwork and boxes to tick would bee the last straw. The costs involved are outrageous with auditors charging $150.00 per hour along with other bits of paper to be currant I look forward to an early retirement. Food Safety is the growth industry at present and it will only get worse. Another branch of Inland Revenue!!! James

*We do not need a vehicle designed to collect more fees and taxes. What we need is a few well chosen, experienced people to promote best practise. We do not need more petty bureaucrats meddling in peoples lives and work.
Any new legislation in any area should be subjected to the acid test ... will it achieve anything useful or constructive or just add burdens on the doers. Why does this country always look for ways to shoot itself in the feet. Dumb people running the show ... thats why! Dianna

*If the present regulations were adhered to there would be no need to change. Mary

*Nobody wants to produce bad food.education please not regulation!! Peter

*It is more red tape that probably wont make any difference. Allison

*Whilst I do not see any need for further rugulation in this respect I am an enthusiastic advocate for more stringent food labelling especially country of origin. This is an area where we are sadly lacking. Roger

*Isn't this more about educating people rather than stiffling people?? Lisa

*People should be encouraged to start new business to help our society on the whole. Judith

*More investment in educating good food handling by the general population, paid for from from the already excessive government and local body regulatory authorities would achieve far greater and quicker results. John

This week's poll asks:

Do you see a need for further regulation in the food industry?

*It ain't necessary! Neil

*This bill has Codex Alimentarius written all over it. Control the people through their food. Carol

*That is right. in some places there is no regulation such as hotels and other service industries where there is too much infections occuring. But this could also relate to the home, and at home we have quests from time to time, and some of our foods may also been grown on site! Is it therefore logical to register all homes as well as the service industries? What I do see is a better education schooling of all students in hygien particually about food and their storage. But I also see that their regulators need more teeth in stamping out wayward and slack food outlets. Rawiri

*Since 1995 I have been producing bottled goods for sales by charities, and organisations like the Hospice, and I do not have a registered kitchen. Everything is boiled or sterilised, and I produce over 400 jars a year, with help from others who supply jars, fruit and sugar. At a rough guess it would worth a total of over $1,000 a year spread round the charities, and it is something I can do. If these new regulations go through I will go out of production as I have no intention of becoming registered. Alan

*Not in the sense of this Food Bill, no. There remains the need to have country of origin labelling on all food products though in my view. We should be able to rely on the labelling to identify where it came from. Fortunately, most sensible countries, including China, require this so a lot is labelled. But I see no reason why the rest cannot be. There is no added cost when you print new labels!! Hugh

*I sometimes wonder if all the ridiculous regulations the NZ government makes are not really dreamed up here but, are instructions out of the UN. I know the dreadful anti smacking bill was originated out of the UN. If this bill is another UN direction we need to have a government with the balls to tell them to stick it up their nose and we the people take our country back. Lynn

*Seems to be another regulation to stop the horse after it has bolted. Colin

*The present regulations are adequate. June

*This just creates more red tape for the clipboard brigade and looks after the big corporations.. throw out the food bill now! Mike

*Yet more intrusive and unecessary regulation to create even more civil servants. Kill it. Peter

*We have to many rules and regulations in this country stifling people who could do so much for the community while the ones making the rules are creaming it off. Clark

*As you pointed out I feel much the same...there will not be small business starting up and there is more bad food handling in the home...education is far better than more form fulling in and fees to pay. Raewyn

*No Way!! This is just another way to clamp down on all of our freedoms with Food. If you control a countrys food supply then you control the country. They say they won't stop people selling food at farmers markets, they say they wont bust you for growing your own food or trading it with a neighbour. In that case why make a law that allows them to police these areas. The bill talks about food regulation offciers enforcing the law with what ever force they require, ,....ummm this is scary stuff. The food bill is based on the Codex Alimentarius, which is big Food corporate law legalise written with the intention of control over our food and its production. Look at the USA they are in dire striaghts, checkout the movie "Food, Inc" and "One Man One Cow One Planet", Just look what happened in India with Monsanto and their engineered one season seed that the farmers cant afford to pay for. These Laws are rubbish and dangerous to all of our freedoms. If people get sick from a producer or dont want their products or services they stop supporting them, that is capitalism. If they do a good job with good food they prosper ....but this "Corporatism" that has morphed out of Free Market Capitalsim is very scary stuff. Stop the food bill, its madness. In these recessionary times shouldnt we be encouraging the folks who cant cope with the rising food costs to learn to grow there own? isnt that more productive and healthy? Tim

This week's poll asks:

Do you see a need for further regulation in the food industry?

*This is a job creation scheme for bureaucrats. We have too many bureaucrats already. Barry

*I see a more sinister agenda behind the new Food Bill - a sop to the USA in exchange for the FTA, and the thin edge of the wedge that allows monolithic Corps like Monsanto to begin exercising their own nefarious brand of control over NZ's food production... Colin

*We need better control of certain areas of the industry, better education, especially to new immigrants, with regards to the standards required in N.Z. This is NOT a racist comment, just observation from some-one that had been in the industry for over 50 years. Margret

*The statistics on actual food related sickness cost are so distorted and contrived as to make them virtually useless.
To use such distorted is not only reprehensible governance is suspect of politically based propaganda for reasons of multi national control of a market and therefore boarders on the criminally misrepresentative informtion.
I might be further noted that these statistics do not include information on the personal hygiene of the consumer or of the non manufacturing distribution chain. This approach is deeply flawed and appears to serve no genuine purpose other than to control small operators from being advantaged by lower overhead and thus undermining the established market dominated by multinational enterprise.
It is time we stood up against imported regulation and established local regional limits to compliance requirements making localised production ad consumption exempt from regulation so that we might all enjoy cheap available local foods. Establish localised delineation and Regulate only export and large volume manufacturers. Vern

*Don't fix what isn't broken Louise

*Things are functioning okay now without stifling initiative further. Peter

*Usual nanny state stuff. Not surprising it was something Labour started - they have a fundamental obsession with controlling everyone and everything in NZ. Gary

This week's poll asks:

Do you see a need for further regulation in the food industry?

*Just another excuse for nanny to load us with state cost for no real benefit to taxpayers! Martin

*No definately not! It is of the buisness's best interest to maintain hygiene standards with food handling . . .after all, food is their business so self regulation on hygiene practise is inevitable. You cannot have customers getting sick eating your product! I cannot get over the rotten slyness of our Government and the absolute rubbish they spout to shut us up. Is it just me or are other NZ'ers out there aware of the Governments repetitive rail roading tactics on NZers? National isn't even half a year into Governership and I am sick of them already!! I think we should demand a 'No Confidence' option on the next election paper!!!! Trina

*It sounds to me like producers and manufacturers in the food industry are regulated enough. It sounds like the food safety authority needs to do a better job at monitoring and enforcing the standards. Brian

*We have too much regulation in NZ. We need "less" government not more. Ken

*The figures show that the economic justification for a law change do not stack up. Most of it is not the cost of health care but some mumbo jumbo modelled cost used to inflate the value to make the public think that more govt regulation is the only answer. How dishonest is that? Sandy

*NZ is over-regulated - end of story! Patrick

*We need enough regulation to keep us safe but not enough to kill entrepreneurship. Stewart

*The Bill should go back to a select committee with a view to throwing it out and sticking with the laws we have that work well anyway! Barbara