Green's Menu for Change launches food revolution

Read Jeanette's conference speech here: http://www.greens.org.nz/node/19178

Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons today launched a Menu for Change - a basket of goodies designed to ensure New Zealanders have access to affordable, healthy food, in her speech to the Party's Annual Conference today.

"Food affordability is becoming more and more of an issue as the effects of the current economic downturn begin to bite. The Green Party has taken a holistic approach to the problem and have today provided a basket of measures that will help New Zealanders get healthy food on the family's table," Ms Fitzsimons says.

"Included among the measures is a Commerce Commission led Food Price Inquiry, similar to that being held in Australia, to investigate food prices and the growing gap between what the farmer receives and what the consumer pays.

"It will consider whether tougher competition law is needed to manage our supermarket duopoly, which sells 94 percent of our groceries and has the power to squeeze both the farmer and the consumer. It may be that we need a farmer to consumer code of conduct for supermarkets.

"In addition, a food security strategy and investigation into the vulnerability of our basic staples to overseas events will help New Zealanders regain control of their food supply.

"The basket contains a number of measures designed to help people grow their own food, including gardens and fruit trees in schools as well as supporting local farmers and growers. It includes a challenge to Fonterra to cap the cost of milk for New Zealanders and decouple it from the overseas influences that are pushing the prices up.

"Food affordability is also about how the rest of the family budget is eaten up by cost increases. Our incomes policy will ensure that no-one has to go hungry. A universal child benefit will ensure all children can afford healthy food and healthy houses. Benefits will be indexed to a basket of food, energy and housing costs and as well as the average wage and the minimum wage will be increased to reflect the real cost of living and eating healthily. More social housing and security of tenancy for those renting privately will give people certainty that they will be able to plant a garden and stay long enough to harvest the fruits of their labour.

"With the items on our Menu for Change, New Zealanders can look forward to a future where healthy food is available to every family."

Menu For Change Hors d'oeuvres

MilkJellies

The Green Party is challenging Fonterra to decouple the NZ price of milk from the international price

 

Vegetable Vol au Vent

An integrated core curriculum for schools teaching children how to grow food, cook it, identify what food is healthy and why they need it. Served with fruit trees in school grounds Tart Fruit Tartlets Extend the fruit in schools and breakfast in schools programmes to all primary schools Entrees Measures aimed at regaining control of our food chain.

Level Playing Field platter

A Commerce Commission inquiry into food pricing by the supermarket duopoly which squeezes both farmers and consumers. With stronger competition laws to support independent retailers

 

Farm fresh produce

A farmer to consumer code of conduct for supermarkets CoOL treats Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for food

 

Fruits de mer

 Kahawai and eels removed from commercial quota management system and reserved for cultural and sustenance fishing so kiwis can catch a fish for tea

 

Home Grown Fare Garden Salad

Community gardens, farmers markets, food co-ops and fruit trees in public spaces

 

From the olde worlde cottage garden

Seed banks to protect the survival of heritage seed varieties for future food security

 

Market selection

Bringing consumers and growers closer together with community assisted agriculture, farmers' markets, bartering schemes and co-operatives

 

Beehive Special

Government procurement guidelines to buy local, healthy food for hospitals, prisons and schools

 

The Staff of Life

Income-rich plans for affordable food)

 

Le Big Bread

Set the minimum wage at 66% of the average wage, (increasing the current level from $12 to $15)

 

Bread basket

Raise core benefits and index levels to a basket of food, energy and housing price indices as well as wages

 

Family Loaf

Universalise the "In Work Payment" component of Working for Families into a Universal Child Benefit to support children of beneficiary and student parents

 

Corkage

Grants for low-income earners to buy seeds and basic tools, served with training and job creation programmes in gardening

 

Warm salad

A platter of initiatives to keep housing costs low leaving more money for groceries. The platter includes:

•tenancy laws designed to give tenants security of tenure

•a universal child benefit that can be capitalised for a home deposit

•Support programmes for low income earners for growing food

 

Foreign Specialties

 

A pinch of kindness

Increased Overseas Development Aid to 0.7% of GNI by 2015 to help those in poorer countries feed themselves and their families. Contribute to World Food Programme's Emergency Fund

 

Mother's Apple Pie

Reject the free trade and globalisation dogma and develop a long-term food security strategy to ensure access to affordable food staples for Kiwi families

 

Menu for change: background information

Food affordability is a key issue for New Zealanders struggling to cope with rising food prices and the Green Party is proud to unveil a new policy package to help all Kiwis access healthy, locally produced food.

The Green Party recognises that food affordability is linked to people's incomes, their transport options, housing situation, and their communities and schools.

Milk and other dairy prices have soared over the past year, making basic healthy foods that we produce here unaffordable for many New Zealanders.

The price we pay for milk is linked to the international price. Fonterra controls 96 percent of New Zealand's dairy production, and exports 96 percent of that offshore.

Food affordability and supermarkets are inextricably linked, so the Green Party would regain control of our food chain by:

•Calling a Commerce Commission Food Price Inquiry, similar to Australia, to consider whether farmers and consumers are treated fairly

•Providing support for small local independent food retailers and farmers markets

•Providing stronger competition laws

•Develop a 'farmer to consumer' code of conduct for supermarkets

•Develop a long term food security strategy for New Zealand

 

The relationship between Food affordability and incomes is critical as buying healthy food becomes increasingly difficult for many people because of inadequate incomes. This affects both beneficiaries and those in low-wage employment.

The Green Party will help by:

 •Setting the minimum wage at 66 percent of the average wage. This would increase the current minimum wage of $12 an hour to $15 an hour

•Setting main welfare benefit amounts at a level sufficient for all basic needs of individuals and families

•Protecting welfare benefit levels by indexing rates to a basket of food, energy and housing price indices and legislating for a benefit level floor to ensure main benefits cannot fall below a fixed percentage of the average wage

•Universalising the 'In-Work Payment' component of Working for Families into the proposed Universal Child Benefit package to support children of beneficiary and student parents

•Reintroducing a discretionary Special Benefit as a safety net to meet the needs of people who are receiving full entitlements to income support but still cannot meet their essential expenses

 

Community-based solutions will help more people grow some of their own food, and have better access to affordable, healthy food grown locally by others.

The Green Party will:

•Support initiatives such as community gardens, allotment schemes, training for people in gardening including in small spaces, and the growing of fruit trees in public spaces

•Encourage programmes to bring growers and consumers closer, including community assisted agriculture, farmers' markets, bartering schemes, the exchange and gifting of surplus produce, and consumer and grower cooperatives

•Support assistance for gardening for low income people, including through Housing New Zealand and Work and Income, for example with grants for seeds and basic tools; and training and job creation programmes in gardening

 

Housing costs are a determining factor in how much people have left from their income to buy food. As food prices rise, people are often faced with choices between their standard of housing, and how much they can spend feeding their families.

Housing security is also a problem as people whose accommodation situation is insecure rarely have time, space or motivation to grow their own food.

The Green Party will work to ensure everyone's housing needs are met, by speeding up state housing supply, and better support for community sector housing programmes.

The Green Party will:

•Change tenancy laws so renters have greater security of tenure

•Support measures to make both home ownership and rental more affordable, including introducing a capital gains tax on all but the family home, and establishing a Universal Child Benefit which can be capitalised for part or all of a deposit on a first home

•Support programmes for Housing NZ, council and other low income tenants to encourage food growing, including balcony gardens, allotment systems and the planting of fruit trees

 

Public transport should be widespread and affordable, to allow more of New Zealanders' household budgets to be spent on other basic living expenses such as food. Children in schools need to learn about good food, and how to grow and cook it, so they are equipped to feed themselves healthily and affordably as adults.

The Green Party will:

•Develop an integrated core curriculum package for schools, teaching children how to grow food, how to cook it, what food is healthy and why they need it

•Extend the fruit in schools and breakfast in schools programme to all schools

 

While New Zealanders have been struggling with increased food prices, the food crisis is felt hardest in developing countries.

We rely on developing countries for many staple foods not produced in New Zealand. As a wealthy nation, we have an obligation to provide Overseas Development Aid at a level that is meaningful.

Green Party will:

•Increase the Overseas Development Aid budget to 0.7 percent by 2015

•Contribute to the World Food Programme Emergency Food Aid fund

 

The full Green Party Food Policy will be announced later this year.