Coronavirus: Supermarket cafes selling takeaway coffees should close, PM says

Wednesday, 1 April 2020

Despite case number growing more slowly, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says it is still too early to tell if New Zealand's measures have been effective.

Supermarkets with cafes selling takeaway coffee need to close, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

She clarified the issue at a press conference on Wednesday after Stuff reported supermarkets were continuing to sell takeaway coffee.

'Cafes attached to supermarkets should be shut down. They should not be operating,' Ardern said.

Foodstuffs supermarkets across Christchurch have been selling takeaway coffee despite a Government directive to stop the practice during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Coffee shops at many Foodstuffs supermarkets across Christchurch had been open, despite Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) rules requiring they stop trading during the Covid-19 lockdown.

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Sign of the Takahe bar and cafe owner Andrew Male says he and other cafe owners can not fathom how supermarkets are still able to sell takeaway coffee during the lockdown.

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Foodstuffs, which operates New World, Pak'n Save and Four Square supermarkets, said on Tuesday it was operating under Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) guidelines.

On Tuesday in Christchurch, the Durham St New World cafe was open until 4pm, while the St Martins New World cafe was closed. On Wednesday the Durham St supermarket closed at 11.15am.*

A Foodstuffs spokeswoman said on Wednesday the company had stopped offering customers takeaway coffee.

'We continue to operate under the Ministry for Primary Industries guidelines and while there is a very low food safety risk we understand some government agencies are not comfortable with the practice, therefore we will cease the offer for now.'

MPI lists the packaging, production and processing of food and beverage products as essential businesses, but cafes, restaurants and takeaway outlets may not operate.

MPI would not comment on the issue and referred all queries to MBIE. MBIE did not respond to questions from Stuff, but on Thursday last week it issued a directive saying supermarkets and petrol stations, while considered essential services, could not sell hot drinks.

It is understood Z Energy and BP service stations are no longer selling hot drinks. Countdown supermarkets do not have in-house cafes.

Sign of the Takahe bar and cafe owner Andrew Male said on Tuesday he and other cafe owners could not fathom how these supermarkets were still able to sell takeaway coffee.

'They (supermarkets) are flouting the law. We can't work out how they get away with it.'

He was concerned that selling coffee encouraged people to go out and get their coffee fix, when the Government was urging people to go out only for groceries and other essential items.

'It starts to normalise it again, which the Government doesn't want.

'People are closing their businesses down, making sure people are safe and others are still trying to find loopholes and ways to get business.'

Male said he did not want to open because he wanted to keep his staff and his family safe during the lockdown.

'Lets just eliminate this extra potential transmission.'

* An earlier version of this story incorrectly said New World Durham was open until 4pm on Wednesday. This was based on signage in the cafe, but in fact it closed at 11.15am on Wednesday.