Buyers of restricted fresh produce in Auckland's fruit fly zone will be able to take one shop's fare out of the area under a packaging and permit system set to start tomorrow.
Artisan food shop Farro took a 20 per cent hit on sales in the first week of the restrictions centred on Grey Lynn after Queensland fruit fly were found in the suburb last month. It will now have fresh produce placed in sealed packaging outside the controlled zone before it is delivered to the shop for sale.
Various kinds of fruit and some nuts and vegetables cannot legally be taken out of the controlled zone unless a permit is obtained from the Ministry for Primary Industries, although a permit is not required if the material is contained in a vehicle travelling through the zone on the North Western Motorway or the western railway line without stopping.
"Our idea was to package all fruit and vegetables off-site in a non-restricted zone and completely seal them for transport to, and thus from, the restricted zone," said Farro co-founder Janene Draper, whose shop is in the outer of the two controlled zones.
Customers will have to sign a ministry register in the shop to attest that they understand the restrictions. They will be given a re-useable permit to take sealed packages of Farro produce outside the controlled zone.
