New Zealand is a high income country, with heavy dependence on international trade, and a consumer preference for quality products. There are minimum barriers to market access to this country of 4.65 million people with tariffs ranging from zero to five per cent for consumer foods. Although New Zealand is a significant agricultural producer and exporter for a broad range of agricultural products, it is also a major import market for a wide range of consumer-oriented foods.
In 2015, New Zealand imported a total of US$2.4 billion of consumer-oriented food products from the rest of the world such as snack foods, processed fruit and vegetables, meats, dairy products, wines and beer, fresh fruit, tree nuts, and pet food. The U.S. supplied US$340 million of consumer foods in 2015, and has a 14 per cent market share of New Zealand’s consumer-oriented food sector. Its top exports include food preparations, pet food almonds, fresh grapes, fresh oranges, and sauces. New Zealand has recently allowed U.S. cooked poultry products into the country (refer to the Food Safety Inspection Service, USDA website, www.fsis.gov for further details).
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