1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,480 Speaker 1: Update for you on the infant formula labeling. Earlier this 2 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: week we told you about the growing concern over the 3 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: labeling and potential changes to be made from the food 4 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: standards people manufacturers threatening to walk away. Jobs are on 5 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: the line, not to mention our role in the multi 6 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: billion dollar infant formula market and places like China. Anyway, 7 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 1: the Food Minister Andrew Hoggard, he was in Australia at 8 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: the meeting and he's with us. 9 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 2: Morning to you, Good morning, Mike. 10 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 1: Are you still in Australia. 11 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:26,480 Speaker 2: Yes, I'm still in Australia. Just find back this morning. 12 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: Out of ten, it couldn't have gone better one. It 13 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,160 Speaker 1: was a complete bust. What we to score. 14 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:36,840 Speaker 2: Probably three or four of But then I was kind 15 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 2: of expecting that wouldn't be successful because we're asking for 16 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 2: a review is very very unusual and doesn't often happen 17 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 2: and hardly ever agreed to. So that was kind of 18 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 2: going in there. It was going to be a fight 19 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 2: of complete that. I'll fight the good fight anyway. 20 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: Good on you. So the people you're in the room with, 21 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: are they the food ministers of the states or the 22 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: federal ministers? Who was there? 23 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 2: So Commonwealth minister and it's coming off health minister. And 24 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 2: then all the state or there weren't that many. There 25 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 2: was a number of proxies, so there's about half the 26 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 2: state and territory ministers weren't there. But they either send 27 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 2: a health minister an agriculture minister, and most of them 28 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:18,919 Speaker 2: were health ministers I believe. 29 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: Okay, are they all on the same page universally or not? 30 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 2: Well, they were all on the same page in terms 31 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 2: of not asking for a review. So they went on 32 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 2: my page. They were on their page, but. 33 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: They were on their page. But they so it was 34 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: Australia versus New Zealand and you were the New Zealand representative. 35 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 2: Pretty much. 36 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: Yes, these food people and just to give us a background, 37 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: I didn't realize, I mean I knew of them. I 38 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 1: didn't realize they had carte blanche. What they say goes 39 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: is that right or not so? 40 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 2: Well? Pretty much they get a direction from the ministers 41 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 2: around we would like to review this. These are the 42 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 2: things that we are concerned about. This is what we 43 00:01:55,800 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 2: want you to look into and develop a steam ended 44 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 2: whatever it may be with this in mind. And then 45 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 2: it's sort of an independent body that goes off and 46 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,119 Speaker 2: developed so for this infant formula. This all started back 47 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 2: in twenty thirteen, and they've worked on it, they report back. 48 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 2: They may get some changes in direction over time from 49 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 2: the ministers, but basically once it gets to this point, 50 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 2: it's kind of nearly done and dusted once they give 51 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 2: their final board report back. 52 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: Have they been captured by the breastfeeding crowd? 53 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 2: Look, I don't believe. I don't know. I wouldn't obviously 54 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:44,239 Speaker 2: don't have the opportunity to get into the meetings. But basically, 55 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 2: I mean they're going along with sort of what's happening 56 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:53,079 Speaker 2: who level in terms of trying not to do any advertising, 57 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 2: and I think there's a fair bit of confusion around 58 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 2: what was being asked for or what was industry would 59 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:02,919 Speaker 2: currently like to do and what people believed industry were 60 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 2: wanting to put on it. 61 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,839 Speaker 1: So it's not it's not playing packaging like cigarettes, it's 62 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: it's it's it's it's not what they had it somewhere 63 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: in between is that it Yeah. 64 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,359 Speaker 2: Pretty much, it's it's not playing packaging, but it's taking 65 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:19,359 Speaker 2: off you know, this contains X, Y and Z and 66 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 2: just having all of that stuff on the back and 67 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 2: whereas industry feel that in particularly in the Chinese market, 68 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 2: which we were the economic concerned. We were worried about 69 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:33,239 Speaker 2: was customers there like to see that there's certain ingredients 70 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 2: in their tins of infant formula, so they're quite well 71 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 2: read up on needs to have this ingredient and that ingredient, 72 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 2: and European producers were able to put that on the front, 73 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 2: whereas under the standard we won't be able to and do. 74 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 1: None of them in the room, except that that puts 75 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: us at a competitive disadvantage and we might not want 76 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: to be in that position in a. 77 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 2: Market in China. I mean, the advice that came back 78 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 2: from the Food Safety body was that they believed it 79 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 2: wouldn't have an economic impact, Whereas you know, I was 80 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 2: sort of I didn't feel the economic analysis was strong 81 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:18,279 Speaker 2: enough to be able to prove that one way or another, 82 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 2: and quite frankly, that's why I was team for the review, 83 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 2: just to be able to test this, get some more 84 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 2: analysis done on this, and certainly put some of our 85 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 2: officials to work in terms of trying to work through 86 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 2: all the claims either way. But with a short amount 87 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 2: of time available, I wasn't willing to take the risk 88 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 2: that it may m error exactly or not. No, there's 89 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,679 Speaker 2: no peal of What happens now is we have until 90 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 2: the fifth of August to write an official letter saying 91 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 2: that we opt out of the standard, so the old 92 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:52,840 Speaker 2: standard would apply to us. 93 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:54,719 Speaker 1: So you're going to do that and that's done, so 94 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: it works out okay for us in the end. 95 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 2: Well, there's a lot of good stuff with the new 96 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,600 Speaker 2: standard because this part that was pretty poor. So we 97 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:07,599 Speaker 2: need to work through industry with industry and do a 98 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,359 Speaker 2: bit more work on Okay, are we really making the 99 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 2: right call here? So the intention would be, yeah, that 100 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 2: we go ahead and opt out and then look at 101 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 2: how we could actually create our own standard. 102 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: Potentially, that's where we could have a standard by we 103 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: put a product on the shelf and sell it because 104 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: it's really good, and we make some money and dig 105 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: ourselves out of this massive economic hole. Would how about 106 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: that as an idea? 107 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a pretty good idea. Actually, Yeah, everyone wants 108 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 2: to stop making money and keep spending it. Yeah, kind 109 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 2: of keen on making some money. 110 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:42,839 Speaker 1: Actually, funny that day, how are you and adelaide still? 111 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: Is it five o'clock in the morning there? Yes, it 112 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 1: is okay, cool, well, I appreciate you getting up early 113 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:51,599 Speaker 1: for us. No worries at all. It's all right, no worries. 114 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 1: Go well mate, Andrew Hoggart. Hope you all blacks are 115 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,839 Speaker 1: listening to that. He not hard to get up at 116 00:05:57,880 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: five o'clock in the morning. Is it not that hard? 117 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: Hard to talk on the day and give us a 118 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 1: backup forward on a Tuesday to be pre recorded five 119 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: days before the game. Andrew can get up at five 120 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:11,920 Speaker 1: o'clock in the morning, No worries at all. God bless them. 121 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 122 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:18,039 Speaker 2: news talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 123 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.