1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: I suppose it's agreed to disagree. That's the outcoming over 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: the labeling of inflant milk formula food standards Australia. New 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Zealand want to change the labels. As you'll be well aware, 4 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:11,240 Speaker 1: have you been covering this in the last couple of days. 5 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: We've decided to opt out of joint standards for the 6 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: next five years. It's a win for producers like to Known, 7 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: who warned that hundreds of jobs would be potentially lost. 8 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: Now the Infant Nutrition Council chiefing Secutive Jonathan Chew was 9 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: back with us on the program. Jonathan, morning to you. 10 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:24,639 Speaker 2: Good morning Michael. 11 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: You see it as a win? 12 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 2: I think so. I think the government had a number 13 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 2: of difficult options, but they've probably made the correct option 14 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:38,120 Speaker 2: when it comes to protective New Zealand exports of infant formula. 15 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: So how does the council work? If we can opt 16 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: out all the time, then we're basically running our own program, 17 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: aren't we. 18 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 2: I think opt out is a circumstance where only a 19 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 2: prescribed reason has to happen. In this case, it was 20 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 2: third country trade impact. It's not that New Zealand is 21 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 2: looking to, in my own standing, create its own food standards. 22 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 2: It's a really unique circumstance where the export of infant 23 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 2: formula was important to New Zealand as a much less 24 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 2: significant factor for Australia, and it was on that basis 25 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:17,040 Speaker 2: New Zealand decided to go its own way. 26 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: Be that as it may, did the argument from the 27 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: authority make sense no matter how big your businesses or 28 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 1: is it too politicized? 29 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 2: From a policy perspective, I still think it was over 30 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 2: each on behalf of the faisans proposal. It took New 31 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 2: Zealand beyond what the international standards were and it would 32 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 2: have put New Zealand pact at a disadvantage compared to, 33 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 2: for example, European or American manufacturers. Yeah. 34 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: See, we had Hogart on the program after we had 35 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 1: you on the program, and he was arguing he was 36 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: a man alone in the room and the Australians didn't 37 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: seem to be. But why would Australians not mind if 38 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: you're putting even if it's not a big deal for them, 39 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: If you're putting yourself beyond everybody else in the marketplace, 40 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 1: what's the point of that? 41 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 2: I think, unfortunately some of the Australian perspectives was influenced 42 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:14,919 Speaker 2: by a more dogmatic approach to the protection of breastfeeding. 43 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 2: Our position was that you should be protecting breastfeeding, but 44 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 2: not to make proposals that go so far that when 45 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 2: you're a formula feeding parent, you need to be able 46 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 2: to have information to make informed choices. And I think 47 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 2: the Australian ministers simply didn't take that into account. 48 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: It's a weird thing, isn't it, Because then you get 49 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: down to the argument is, if you're going to breastfeed 50 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: or not breastfeed, does what's on the label materially affect 51 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: that decision? And that's highly debatable, isn't it. 52 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 2: I think that's correct. I think by the time parents 53 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:54,079 Speaker 2: turn to formula, they've already made the decision that they 54 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 2: cannot continue their breastfeeding journey. And I think when they're 55 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 2: looking at the tins of formula, they're already they're already 56 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,959 Speaker 2: decided to use formula, and then they've just got to 57 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 2: find the right formula product for their circumstance. 58 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:08,799 Speaker 1: So, given what we've got out of this and who 59 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: these people are and the sort of decisions they make, 60 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,360 Speaker 1: is there more where this came from? And is there 61 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: if there is, is that a problem for us. 62 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:18,839 Speaker 2: As I say, I think this was a particular set 63 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:24,640 Speaker 2: of circumstances. For the most part, the joint standard was 64 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 2: applicable for Australia in New Zealand and I'm hopeful now 65 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 2: that we can return to normal and continue to make 66 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 2: joint standards moving forward. 67 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: Goodlet's hope. So, Jonathan, appreciate your time very much. Jonathan Chu, 68 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: who's the Infant Nutrition Council CEO, who's by the way 69 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: in Sydney, and in Sydney at the moment, just after 70 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: four point thirty in the morning, so no problem getting 71 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: up nice and early to be on the show and 72 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: for more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 73 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: news talks they'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 74 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.