Veg growers urge supply-chain transparency as supermarket reforms loom

The New Zealand Vegetable Council is calling for greater transparency in the grocery supply chain so shoppers understand price formation. Mike Brown, NZVeg’s chief executive, warned that about half of the growers cannot see a viable future beyond ten years and that dismantling the Kiwi-owned Foodstuffs duopoly could shrink supply and lift prices. While vegetables have not been the main driver of recent food-price inflation, growers operate on very slim margins and are exposed to risks such as severe weather, rising energy costs, and tightening regulations.

The council also flagged the impact of the European Parliament’s new gene-edited seed rules, which could limit New Zealand seed imports. NZVeg urges a bipartisan, national strategy for vegetable production within upcoming resource-management reforms to safeguard food security.