Food Bill 2010 - a letter to the press

Our reginal newspaper the Northern Age published the Minister of Food Safety HON Kate Wilkinson's press release about the critical views many have on the food bill (see also on Stuff.co.nz
Political stoush over Food Bill) . I replied with this letter:

Dear editor,
 Reading the Minister for Food Safety HON Kate Wilkinson’s reaction to the Green Party’s critical view on the Food Bill 2010 makes me wonder if I am also an ”anonymous agitator”. On the other side, on the many occasions I tried to raise awareness of the Food Bill 2010 and the implications I always either signed with my proper name or my email address. So did all other people I came across who look at the Food Bill 2010 in a more critical way.
 One of the issues with the Food Bill people have is that it might pose a risk for small growers to face a big amount of bureaucracy and regulations. HON Kate Wilkinson picked this up nicely and uses it now to show how little impact the Food Bill 2010 does have on those small growers. But she picks only a small group of affected people and businesses. As she says, “Small growers who share or trade their produce with neighbours, or who sell directly to consumers[…]” should not be worried. What about others? As soon as you process your food in any way (making jams and pickles? Mixing lettuce? Selling dried herbs? Smoking Garlic?) you fall into a different category. What about small businesses buying in food or food ingredients and selling it? Again, another category.
 One of the biggest changes the Food Bill 2010 will have is the replacement of commercial kitchens, licensed kitchens and registered food premises currently governed by the local councils. I wonder if the small business owners under your readers  are aware of the fact that their licensed kitchen will disappear and will be replaced by a risk based system governed by MAF/NZFSA. To me, as a small business owner myself, this is a  big worry. And I find nothing in the Food Bill 2010 (yes I read the whole thing) which would put my mind at rest. Because the Food Bill 2010 actually only provides a framework for future regulations. The Food Bill 2010 only says who will be put in what risk groups. The detailed regulations will be created and applied later for each food sector.
 So why do we need a new food safety law? Doesn’t the old one work? In the first reading Mrs. Wilkinson actually told us the real reason behind the Food Bill 2010. The Food Bill 2010 is designed to bring the New Zealand food system in line with the World Trade Organisation’s requirements. So it is not about making food safer for New Zealanders. It is about making it easier for exporters to get their produce into countries like US and Canada etc. That might be the reason why control of food premises is taken away from local councils (who in the US would know the Northland District Council) and gives it to a governmental ministry.
 I do not want to agitate as Mrs. Wilkinson puts it. And I don’t think I talk rubbish. All I ever said is my opinion based on the little information I have. I am surprised that a minster calls me an agitator and that I would spread false information. All I want is that people are aware of this new Food Bill 2010 and that the people of New Zealand will be properly informed about it. Because I get the feeling that the government tries to sneak this bill through parliament (the submission phase is long closed!) in a very quiet way. But this is too important. This affects everybody being in New Zealand. This affects our new born babies, our children, teenagers, elderlies, our tourists and visitors – all of us. Because we all have one thing in common: we eat food!
 Signed with my full name:
 Peter Niepel
Kaitaia

I hope they publish it because I think the people of New Zealand need to be informed about this.