I got this email from Kevin Hague Green Party member, reprinted with his permission. Jessika, Thanks for your email. Im sorry that this response is so late, but the election and its aftermath completely absorbed my time, putting me a long way behind in dealing with my email mountain. I also appreciate that perhaps you were seeking to inform your vote, so this response may be much too late for you. The Green Partys policies are developed by our members, independent of MPs, and the process strives to achieve as close to consensus as possible. This has the advantage of delivering comprehensive, robust policy that has been well-debated, but the disadvantage that it can be slow to change in response to changing evidence. Here is a link to our Food policy: https://home.greens.org.nz/policy/food. Section 6F sets out the policy on GE food, and section 5A deals with the specific issue of food labelling. This policy is longstanding, and the primary argument for it was that there was a genuine scientific debate going on about the safety of GE foods, so the application of the precautionary principle was important to ensure peoples health was not put at risk. I know that there are some members of the Party who say that the balance of the evidence has now shifted and our policy should change. As the policy has been in place for many years now, it would indeed be timely to review it. What I say to people who generally like the Green partys values and direction but find one or two particular policies problematic is that they should join the Party. There is a vigorous policy-making process within the party, but only members get to participate in it. I would be surprised if the particular policy on food labelling were to change, however. The Greens have been very strong advocates for the idea that people have a right to know whats in the food products they buy, and have supported more information being provided in a variety of contexts (eg sugar, saturated fay and salt content). Virtually nobody argues that sugar should not be legal as an ingredient in food products, but there is almost universal agreement that product labelling should advise consumers how much sugar has been added. It could be argued that it makes no nutritional difference whether a food has involved GE processes or not, but the fact is that it does matter to many consumers, both in New Zealand and in international markets for our products. Advocates for the safety of GE foods need to focus on convincing consumers of the value of their case, rather than attempting to deny consumers choice. Thanks again for writing, Kevin
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 19:46:07 +0000
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