I was pleased when my regular supermarket started to label where fresh fruit and vegetables came from some months ago, and now Anathoth states where the fruit (but not the sugar, which is imported) in its jams and marmalades come from, instead of just saying "made from local and imported ingredients".
Michael Barker, of Barker Fruit Processors of Geraldine which now owns Anathoth, says New Zealand fruits they use include strawberry, boysenberry, apricot, plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, grapefruit and lemon.
The New Zealand raspberry industry can supply only half the raspberries they need from Nelson, and the balance is imported from Canada and Chile.
[comment caption=Do you think food producers and supermarkets should label food origins?]
Anathoth's orange marmalade is made from Seville oranges grown in Spain.
He says it will require about four months to change the labels and Barkers will monitor response to see if it will extend the country-of-origin labelling to other products.
Let's hope they do.
As consumers we have a right to know where our food comes from.
