1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame podcast 2 00:00:10,613 --> 00:00:11,933 Speaker 1: from News Talks AB. 3 00:00:12,933 --> 00:00:15,933 Speaker 2: Right now though, Kate Hall aka Ethically Kate joins us 4 00:00:15,933 --> 00:00:19,133 Speaker 2: to talk about her New Zealand Made Food challenge that 5 00:00:19,213 --> 00:00:23,413 Speaker 2: she set herself for the year. Good morning, Kate, have 6 00:00:23,573 --> 00:00:27,333 Speaker 2: been Chesska. So at the beginning of the year, I 7 00:00:27,373 --> 00:00:29,853 Speaker 2: think you spoke to Jack about this new challenge. It's 8 00:00:29,893 --> 00:00:32,293 Speaker 2: not the first time you've picked a challenge for the year, 9 00:00:32,373 --> 00:00:32,813 Speaker 2: is it, Kate. 10 00:00:33,533 --> 00:00:36,613 Speaker 3: No, I seemed to like a challenge, and I kind 11 00:00:36,613 --> 00:00:39,613 Speaker 3: of I like the calendar year. I think, yeah, some 12 00:00:39,653 --> 00:00:42,613 Speaker 3: people poo poo the kind of New Year's resolutions, but 13 00:00:42,693 --> 00:00:45,373 Speaker 3: I kind of just pick a an annual challenge. I 14 00:00:45,413 --> 00:00:48,413 Speaker 3: find it is really helpful to yeah, do it in 15 00:00:48,413 --> 00:00:52,133 Speaker 3: the calendar year and not think I want to do 16 00:00:52,173 --> 00:00:56,013 Speaker 3: it forever for my lifetime or go into it with absolutees, 17 00:00:56,093 --> 00:00:57,333 Speaker 3: but yeah, just to try it. 18 00:00:57,533 --> 00:00:59,733 Speaker 2: So, why this year did you pick the New Zealand 19 00:00:59,773 --> 00:01:00,813 Speaker 2: Made Food Challenge? 20 00:01:01,973 --> 00:01:05,053 Speaker 3: So? I thought, honestly, it was probably on the twenty 21 00:01:05,173 --> 00:01:08,373 Speaker 3: ninth of December. I was I really, I am up 22 00:01:08,413 --> 00:01:11,533 Speaker 3: for a challenge. I'd like a change, and I thought 23 00:01:11,533 --> 00:01:14,533 Speaker 3: it would be good to around food, especially since I 24 00:01:14,533 --> 00:01:18,733 Speaker 3: had heard just so much from small food producers, how 25 00:01:18,853 --> 00:01:20,893 Speaker 3: much of a struggle. I mean, it always is a 26 00:01:20,893 --> 00:01:23,973 Speaker 3: struggle there's a small food producer, but especially at the moment. 27 00:01:24,693 --> 00:01:28,613 Speaker 3: And I've always tried to buy produce and food as 28 00:01:28,653 --> 00:01:31,973 Speaker 3: local as possible, but I just kind of wanted to 29 00:01:31,973 --> 00:01:35,853 Speaker 3: go that extra mile and really really understand what we 30 00:01:35,973 --> 00:01:39,053 Speaker 3: grow here in New Zealand, what we have available to us, 31 00:01:39,133 --> 00:01:42,493 Speaker 3: and what a diet would look like without having access 32 00:01:42,573 --> 00:01:44,133 Speaker 3: to international foods. 33 00:01:44,413 --> 00:01:46,253 Speaker 2: Before we have a chat about what you have learned 34 00:01:46,253 --> 00:01:48,653 Speaker 2: from this challenge, just remind us again what the rules were. 35 00:01:49,893 --> 00:01:52,773 Speaker 3: So the rules were, I could still eat what was 36 00:01:52,853 --> 00:01:55,653 Speaker 3: existing in my pantry, so you know those kind of 37 00:01:55,853 --> 00:01:58,213 Speaker 3: like using up the soy sauce and things like that, 38 00:01:58,253 --> 00:02:00,933 Speaker 3: because that would have been wasteful if I just you know, 39 00:02:01,013 --> 00:02:04,533 Speaker 3: throw that stuff out to start the challenge. I also 40 00:02:04,653 --> 00:02:07,853 Speaker 3: didn't want it to be a year of me losing friends, 41 00:02:07,893 --> 00:02:11,933 Speaker 3: so I decided that I wasn't about so if I 42 00:02:11,973 --> 00:02:14,853 Speaker 3: was invited over to someone's house for dinner, I could 43 00:02:14,853 --> 00:02:19,653 Speaker 3: eat whatever they served me. So yeah, I wasn't excluding 44 00:02:19,653 --> 00:02:23,653 Speaker 3: myself or creating kind of unfair demands on my friends 45 00:02:23,693 --> 00:02:28,573 Speaker 3: and family. And it was it was New Zealand made food, 46 00:02:29,213 --> 00:02:33,733 Speaker 3: so that doesn't necessarily mean grown, but I had a 47 00:02:33,813 --> 00:02:36,973 Speaker 3: strong emphasis on grown, so I tried as much as 48 00:02:36,973 --> 00:02:39,973 Speaker 3: possible for New Zealand grown too, but New Zealand made 49 00:02:40,213 --> 00:02:41,293 Speaker 3: was the absolute. 50 00:02:41,933 --> 00:02:43,693 Speaker 2: So just how easy was. 51 00:02:45,493 --> 00:02:48,333 Speaker 3: It was? To be honest, it was easier than I 52 00:02:48,333 --> 00:02:53,693 Speaker 3: thought in some ways when you look around it almost 53 00:02:53,773 --> 00:02:56,253 Speaker 3: it almost felt like it was harder when I was 54 00:02:56,293 --> 00:03:01,253 Speaker 3: doing kind of more staunch, pastic free challenges, so it 55 00:03:01,293 --> 00:03:06,413 Speaker 3: felt easier to find. Yeah, New Zealand made food, but 56 00:03:06,413 --> 00:03:11,653 Speaker 3: again it almost sometimes felt too easy because of the labeling. 57 00:03:11,653 --> 00:03:14,693 Speaker 3: It would say made in New Zealand from local and 58 00:03:14,733 --> 00:03:19,053 Speaker 3: important ingredients, and I started to feel really kind of 59 00:03:19,133 --> 00:03:22,733 Speaker 3: challenge about the labeling and not actually being able to 60 00:03:22,813 --> 00:03:26,173 Speaker 3: know is this, yeah, how much of this is actually 61 00:03:26,213 --> 00:03:28,933 Speaker 3: New Zealand grown? And it was very very vague. So 62 00:03:29,093 --> 00:03:32,493 Speaker 3: I found that part kind of hard, and that meant 63 00:03:32,813 --> 00:03:35,853 Speaker 3: I kept a lot to just eating you know, kind 64 00:03:35,893 --> 00:03:38,573 Speaker 3: of raw, not getting raw so it's cooking them, but 65 00:03:38,893 --> 00:03:43,373 Speaker 3: just the basics like vegetables and meat and you know, 66 00:03:43,493 --> 00:03:47,253 Speaker 3: grains that I knew were grown here. So yeah, the 67 00:03:47,373 --> 00:03:52,253 Speaker 3: labeling was a big, big challenge, but I think it's 68 00:03:52,373 --> 00:03:55,613 Speaker 3: one of my favorite challenges I've done so far. I've 69 00:03:55,653 --> 00:03:59,653 Speaker 3: done a year of no new clothes and minimalist challenges 70 00:03:59,693 --> 00:04:02,813 Speaker 3: and things like that, but this has really given me 71 00:04:02,893 --> 00:04:08,333 Speaker 3: some good new habits going into twenty twenty five and 72 00:04:08,453 --> 00:04:11,973 Speaker 3: beyond to actually not just look at, okay, where is 73 00:04:12,013 --> 00:04:14,293 Speaker 3: my produce growing, which I think we're all pretty good 74 00:04:14,293 --> 00:04:16,653 Speaker 3: at in New Zealand when we're in the produce section, 75 00:04:17,253 --> 00:04:20,573 Speaker 3: but actually looking at our food and labeling too. I 76 00:04:20,653 --> 00:04:23,373 Speaker 3: really hope we get better at that, and there's more 77 00:04:23,613 --> 00:04:27,893 Speaker 3: laws around what people can put on their products. But 78 00:04:27,933 --> 00:04:33,253 Speaker 3: I've missed some foods like bananas and you know, like 79 00:04:33,693 --> 00:04:36,253 Speaker 3: black tea. We have one producer here in New Zealand. 80 00:04:36,733 --> 00:04:38,573 Speaker 3: But yeah, just things like that which are a bit 81 00:04:38,613 --> 00:04:39,493 Speaker 3: harder to find. 82 00:04:39,893 --> 00:04:42,013 Speaker 2: That's going to ask whether it allowed for a good 83 00:04:42,093 --> 00:04:43,693 Speaker 2: variety in your diet. 84 00:04:44,613 --> 00:04:49,613 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think at the start I was feeling the 85 00:04:49,653 --> 00:04:54,493 Speaker 3: lack of variety. I missed rice a lot because we 86 00:04:54,573 --> 00:04:58,733 Speaker 3: don't have investigated people who have been attempting to grow rice, 87 00:04:58,813 --> 00:05:02,013 Speaker 3: which we can, but it's just the machinery around the 88 00:05:02,173 --> 00:05:05,453 Speaker 3: husking that rice to make it a commercial and edible 89 00:05:05,453 --> 00:05:09,493 Speaker 3: product difficult, but maybe we'll get there. So yeah, Keena, 90 00:05:09,653 --> 00:05:12,453 Speaker 3: I really love and it's even better for your body, 91 00:05:12,493 --> 00:05:15,453 Speaker 3: it's even more nutritious. But I did get a little 92 00:05:15,493 --> 00:05:18,373 Speaker 3: bit sick of it after, you know, probably after the 93 00:05:18,493 --> 00:05:20,653 Speaker 3: sixth month, I was like, oh, how many ways can 94 00:05:20,693 --> 00:05:21,813 Speaker 3: I cook? Kana? 95 00:05:22,973 --> 00:05:26,453 Speaker 2: What about what about cost, Kate, did you notice any 96 00:05:26,453 --> 00:05:29,773 Speaker 2: difference in sort of what it cost you to eat? Yeah? 97 00:05:29,813 --> 00:05:33,653 Speaker 3: That was a tricky one for me because I'm already Celiac, 98 00:05:33,853 --> 00:05:35,653 Speaker 3: so I have to eat a gluten and free diet. 99 00:05:36,133 --> 00:05:39,493 Speaker 3: So my food, you know, a loaf of bread for 100 00:05:39,653 --> 00:05:42,733 Speaker 3: me as a Celiac is you know, ten to twelve 101 00:05:42,813 --> 00:05:45,173 Speaker 3: dollars instead of I don't know what a normal of 102 00:05:45,293 --> 00:05:48,373 Speaker 3: spread costs these days of wheat four, but you know 103 00:05:48,413 --> 00:05:51,293 Speaker 3: it's maybe a third of that price. So it has 104 00:05:51,373 --> 00:05:54,253 Speaker 3: had I know I can't do kind of exact comparison 105 00:05:54,373 --> 00:05:58,373 Speaker 3: for the everyday person, but I think, honestly, I don't 106 00:05:58,413 --> 00:06:01,973 Speaker 3: think it's as expensive as everyone thought it would be, 107 00:06:01,973 --> 00:06:04,893 Speaker 3: because that was the first question. They're like, oh, you know, 108 00:06:05,173 --> 00:06:08,533 Speaker 3: it's all right, who can afford it? But I think 109 00:06:08,573 --> 00:06:11,933 Speaker 3: because you then just say no to non seasonal things, 110 00:06:12,013 --> 00:06:15,973 Speaker 3: you know you're not spending extravagant amounts on a pineapple 111 00:06:16,053 --> 00:06:20,133 Speaker 3: in June, or you know, a punnet of strawberries in July. 112 00:06:20,813 --> 00:06:24,893 Speaker 3: You're just eating seasonally, meaning it's cheap in that season 113 00:06:24,893 --> 00:06:28,253 Speaker 3: because there's an abundance of it. So that also, I 114 00:06:28,253 --> 00:06:31,773 Speaker 3: think has connected me more to the seasons and understanding. 115 00:06:32,293 --> 00:06:34,773 Speaker 3: You know, like I got in this veggie box from 116 00:06:34,813 --> 00:06:38,693 Speaker 3: Misfit which is all Misfit kind of vegetables directly from 117 00:06:38,693 --> 00:06:42,973 Speaker 3: the farmers just yesterday some nectarines, and I'm so excited 118 00:06:43,013 --> 00:06:46,773 Speaker 3: for the stone fruit kind of season, and I now, yeah, 119 00:06:46,853 --> 00:06:51,573 Speaker 3: really far more kind of associate different seasons with those foods. 120 00:06:51,893 --> 00:06:54,813 Speaker 3: And yeah, I really don't think. I think it's quite 121 00:06:54,813 --> 00:06:58,733 Speaker 3: a myth that New Zealand made food is more expensive 122 00:06:59,253 --> 00:07:01,533 Speaker 3: and you just got to try it and you'll see 123 00:07:01,533 --> 00:07:04,333 Speaker 3: that actually it can mean that you're saying no to 124 00:07:04,373 --> 00:07:07,173 Speaker 3: a lot of those extra foods you're thrown you're trolley? 125 00:07:07,213 --> 00:07:11,733 Speaker 2: Was that thinking, and Kate was it time consuming challenge? 126 00:07:12,413 --> 00:07:17,013 Speaker 3: Yeah? It was time consuming, mainly because the labels are 127 00:07:17,053 --> 00:07:20,093 Speaker 3: really hard to read. So at the stat of the year, 128 00:07:20,253 --> 00:07:24,533 Speaker 3: at about seven am and a local supermarket opened, I 129 00:07:24,573 --> 00:07:26,533 Speaker 3: went to my bike to the supermarket and I just 130 00:07:26,573 --> 00:07:29,973 Speaker 3: spent probably an hour and a half just reading labels 131 00:07:30,173 --> 00:07:33,533 Speaker 3: and understanding what I could buy what was there. I 132 00:07:33,653 --> 00:07:36,413 Speaker 3: determined that a whole lot of rice crackers mainly made 133 00:07:36,453 --> 00:07:40,253 Speaker 3: in Thailand, so those out of the Christian and just yeah, 134 00:07:40,373 --> 00:07:42,933 Speaker 3: took that time. But I do these challenges so that 135 00:07:43,533 --> 00:07:46,613 Speaker 3: I can do that, you know, work and research up 136 00:07:46,653 --> 00:07:50,373 Speaker 3: front so other people can understand things too. So of 137 00:07:50,533 --> 00:07:54,693 Speaker 3: made a blog of over one hundred different New Zealand 138 00:07:54,693 --> 00:07:58,613 Speaker 3: made food producers and so hopefully you know, yeah again 139 00:07:58,693 --> 00:08:01,613 Speaker 3: this book that I've done this year, I've spent the 140 00:08:01,653 --> 00:08:04,053 Speaker 3: times so that others don't have to to know that 141 00:08:04,093 --> 00:08:06,333 Speaker 3: actually it is possible with me, don't have to be 142 00:08:06,413 --> 00:08:10,893 Speaker 3: absolute about it. I actually need to confess also that 143 00:08:11,013 --> 00:08:17,213 Speaker 3: I have bought some things like rice because several months 144 00:08:17,213 --> 00:08:21,893 Speaker 3: ago I fell pregnant and the first trimester was very 145 00:08:21,933 --> 00:08:26,493 Speaker 3: hard with food. Even looking at vegetables was yeah, a 146 00:08:26,613 --> 00:08:30,573 Speaker 3: bots my gag reflexes. So I had to be kind 147 00:08:30,613 --> 00:08:33,293 Speaker 3: on my body and though that actually I can keep 148 00:08:33,293 --> 00:08:36,773 Speaker 3: doing a challenge, but with a few little things thrown 149 00:08:36,773 --> 00:08:38,653 Speaker 3: in there. So then that's my conditionion. 150 00:08:39,133 --> 00:08:41,013 Speaker 2: I'm not good on you for confessing it, but I 151 00:08:41,013 --> 00:08:46,173 Speaker 2: think everybody will totally forgive you for that. Kate congratulations 152 00:08:46,213 --> 00:08:49,973 Speaker 2: on the pregnancy. Kate's blog is ethically kate dot com 153 00:08:50,053 --> 00:08:51,533 Speaker 2: if you want to go and have a read of 154 00:08:51,573 --> 00:08:54,613 Speaker 2: her challenge and also get the list of those New 155 00:08:54,693 --> 00:08:56,053 Speaker 2: Zealand food producers. 156 00:08:56,693 --> 00:08:59,813 Speaker 1: For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live 157 00:08:59,893 --> 00:09:02,693 Speaker 1: to news talks that'd be from nine am Saturday, or 158 00:09:02,773 --> 00:09:04,693 Speaker 1: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.