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... the australian food and grocery council (afgc) has applauded the decision by the federal government to oppose the food standards amendment (truth in labelling palm oil) bill 2011 ... yesterday, afgc chief executive kate carnell said the palm oil labelling bill would cost the australian food manufacturing industry a$150 million and “would not save any orang-utans” ... ” federal government opposes the bill the federal government has opposed the bill on the following grounds: first of all, that the bill will be of significant cost to the australian food industry (estimated at up to a$150 million) at a time when manufacturers are “struggling due to increasing costs and the high australian dollar” ... secondly, that the bill contravenes world trade organization requirements for food labelling adversely impacting industrial trade ... ” fourthly, that the bill does not promote health benefits as levels of saturated fats are already listed on the food product labels ... submissions have been made to australian parliament from major players in australia’s food retail industry ... these included submissions against the bill from the australian food and grocery council, as referred to

... the australian food and grocery council (afgc) is urging the federal government to act quickly to keep australia’s food manufacturing industry alive ... the afgc has called on the australian government to “remove unnecessary regulation and duplication, such as food labelling changes, and reduce costs of doing business” ... the afgc also says it is “critical” that australian government fast-tracks its national food plan ... the afgc’s ceo kate carnell says several food and grocery manufacturing operations have already moved offshore because of the challenges facing the industry in australia ... at the moment, many leading food and grocery companies are seriously weighing up their future options for manufacturing in australia,” ms carnell said ... “it’s vital that the government creates a broad-base policy that supports a viable, competitive and robust food and grocery manufacturing sector that will continue to deliver high quality products for australia and the export market ... ” over the past two months, around 300 job cuts have been announced across the a$102 billion food manufacturing sector ... recent australian food industry cutbacks have included: - 150 jobs lost at spc ardmona following the announced closure of its mooroopna factory by the middle of next year, and - 146 jobs lost at heinz following the closure of its girgarre factory in north-east victoria ... the afgc’s state of the industry 2010 report showed a total loss of 3,400 jobs since 2006-07 within the food manufacturing sector ... “industry is facing a growing list of pressures across australia’s long supply chain, such as high labour prices, less flexibility on wages, higher energy power prices, high transport costs, growth in private label brands and near record global commodity prices for raw materials such as sugar, dairy, cocoa and wheat,” ms carnell added

... the australian parliament is facing a proliferation of inquiries by legislative committees to investigate numerous separate food industry issues ... (1) federal inquiry into food processing a federal senate inquiry, to be undertaken by a committee known as the senate select committee on australia’s food processing sector, will investigate pressures facing the australian food processing industry ... a key issue is whether australian food manufacturing is competitive in international markets in the face of challenges that include the strong australian dollar, and questions over levels of investment capital, skilled labour, necessary infrastructure, and the ongoing challenges presented by the australian climate ... (2) palm-oil labelling inquiry in federal parliament the identification of palm oil on food labels is being considered in a federal parliamentary committee inquiry by the house of representatives ... the house economics committee has commenced its inquiry into the food standards amendment (truth in labelling – palm oil) bill 2011 that would, if passed, require makers or distributors of foods with palm oil as an ingredient, to specify the oil as ‘palm oil’ ... (3) farm gate pricing bill tabled to federal parliament a private member’s bill tabled this week to federal parliament would, if passed, require australia’s major supermarkets to reveal what percentage of the retail price of their fresh produce goes to the farmers ... (4) federal government’s “national food plan” in june 2011, the federal department of agriculture, fisheries and forestry (daff) released an “issues paper to inform development of a national food plan”, in line with the labor government’s pre-election promise of developing a national food plan (nfp) ... the plan will focus on issues such as food security, food quality, the affordability of food and the sustainability of food

... for the first time in its 100 year history, the international association for food protection (iafp) is bringing its international forum to australia ... the securing global food safety conferencence is to be held on 26 – 28 september 2011 in melbourne ... the event also incorporates the 14th australian food microbiology conference, and is presented by the iafp, the australian institute of food science and technology inc (aifst) and the international commission on microbiological specifications for food (icmsf) ... the conference provides food safety professionals with a forum of international and local expertise in which to exchange information and learn more about protecting food supplies ... conference topics will look at the management of food safety systems in manufacturing, international trade, the supply chain, primary production as well as foodborne disease epidemiology, foodborne hazards updates and the role of the laboratory in food safety ... there will be ample opportunity to exchange information on the current state of play for microbiological and other food hazards, enhancing the effectiveness of systems used by industry and government to manage food safety and challenges faced by individuals and organisations in securing a safe global food supply ... australia’s food regulation system will be explored, with the three tiers of government represented by steve mccutcheon (food standards australia new zealand), dr john carnie (chief health officer, department f health, victoria) and mark saunders from the local government sector ... au, and click on the securing global food safety conference link

... a leading food industry consultant has warned that more australian food processors will be driven out of business as a result of competition between and commercial powers held by major food retailers ... in a speech to the crawford fund annual conference, held this week in parliament house, canberra, food industry expert dr david mckinna, founder of mckinna et al, said australian food processors’ margins are no longer sufficient to support the reinvestment needed for global competitiveness ... the comments follow recent plant closures or imminent closures of food processing plants around australia ... “without doubt, global food companies must all be considering closing australian processing facilities ... ” according to the austrade, trade in processed food products makes up 20 per cent of australia’s manufacturing industry and accounts for around 18 per cent of employment in the manufacturing sector

... peak horticulture body growcom has called for the urgent integration of food policy and programs by the federal government to plan for future food security ... chief executive officer alex livingstone said the call follows the release of several federal government reports in recent days, which he said indicate an insular and complacent approach to national food security ... livingstone said the government continued to take a ‘she’ll be right’ approach to food policy issues, spruiking figures showing that australia produces significantly more food than we consume at a time when the world bank is warning of increasing global instability with food prices increasing 36 per cent in the past year and 44 million people forced into poverty ... “in abare’s report, global food security: facts, issues and implications released this week, the agency somewhat arrogantly states that the high income levels of most australians ensures our capacity to purchase the food we need, whether imported or domestically produced ... the agency concludes that as a consequence, australia’s food security would not be threatened by any diminution of food self sufficiency that might occur with increased imports in the future,” said livingstone ... it also ignores reports showing sections of the community without the resources to access fresh healthy food and growing demands for charities such as foodbank to fill the breach ... “this head in the sand approach is echoed in the report sustainable australia – sustainable communities - a sustainable population strategy for australia, launched by former agriculture minister tony burke last week, which complacently claims australia is ‘sheltered from immediate concerns about food shortages because we produce significantly more food than we consume, exporting more than half of our food production while ensuring that around 98 per cent of the fresh produce sold in supermarkets is grown and supplied domestically ... ’ “in sharp contract to this conclusion comes the report victorian food supply scenarios: impacts on availability of a nutritious diet, written by researchers from the victorian eco-innovation lab, university of melbourne, csiro and deakin university which concludes that australia is not producing enough healthy food to meet the nutritional requirements of the population – and that in a future constrained by high population growth, peak oil and fierce competition for land and water resources, there’s an urgent need to make smarter decisions to assure a nutritious food supply

... 10 -13 july 2011: during four days in july, more than 9,000 key decision makers from australia’s food and beverage manufacturing and processing industries are anticipated to attend the triennial foodpro, the largest australasian food and beverage industry trade exhibition of its kind ... after all, this industry sector, generating sales and service income of more than $100 billion annually, is the nation’s largest, encompassing more than a quarter of australia’s manufacturing industry* ... at foodpro, the industry comes together to research and discuss the latest innovations and trends in the food and beverage sector, with the more than 300 suppliers in australia and new zealand showcasing their wares at foodpro 2011 ... for an industry that commits to over $650 million in r&d expenditure*, foodpro is a forum for food and beverage processing and manufacturing exhibitors to present the latest in food innovation, leading-edge technologies and crucial industry developments ... foodpro is a remarkable convergence of the industry’s most powerful ideas and product showcases including newest food manufacturing industry trends as well as the latest in food and beverage processing machinery, services, technical products, ingredients, flavourings, additives, food safety, micro-biology and testing equipment, packaging, handling, storage, transport, plant equipment, hygiene, water and waste systems, and much more ... foodpro manager, peter petherick, believes that foodpro’s successful track record has contributed to its significance to the food and beverage industry ... “since its inception in the 1960s, foodpro has become the most influential and comprehensive food manufacturing event in the australasian region ... “for visitors, it’s an invaluable opportunity to view the latest products and concepts from highly skilled food manufacturing business suppliers ... foodpro has paramount appeal across food and beverage manufacturers from meat and dairy to confectionery and baking, seafood to fruit and vegetables, soft drink and juice, even the brewing, wine and spirit industries

... the australian food and grocery council (afgc) said it was “disappointing” that the federal government allocated no new funds for a national food plan in the 2011-12 budget ... “the budget contained no extra funding for developing a broad-base national food plan, which is vital for australia’s largest manufacturing industry – food and grocery – to have a long-term, strategic focus to ensure australia has a safe, nutritious and sustainable food supply into the future,” said the industry body ... afgc chief executive kate carnell said: “industry is expecting a white paper to be released in the next month or so and we hoped there would be some extra money for the implementation for the food plan over the next 12 months ... “increasing skilled migration is a very real problem for industry, especially gaining appropriate people all way through the food and grocery supply chain, particular tradespeople,” ms carnell said ... “the establishment of the national workforce development fund (nwdf) and a $558 million investment over four years in regional training programs will also benefit australia’s food and grocery manufacturers who employ 288,000 australians, including half in rural and regional areas ... “industry believes it’s essential to have a nationally consistent set of regulations in the transport sector to streamline australia’s supply chain networks,” ms carnell said

... federal agriculture minister joe ludwig’s announcement to consult australia’s food and grocery manufacturing industry on key issues to develop a national food plan has been welcomed by the australian food and grocery council (afgc) today ... speaking at the abares outlook conference yesterday, senator ludwig said an issues paper would form the first step in designing the food plan to help ensure the long-term sustainability and future growth of agri-foods and australia’s largest manufacturing sector – food and grocery ... afgc chief executive kate carnell said industry consultation was vital in highlighting the significant pressures and major challenges currently facing food and grocery manufacturers, including rising imports, retailer margins and increasing input costs ... “australians want a robust local food production and value-add processing sector – they don’t want to be increasingly reliant on cheap imports for our food supply ... ” afgc chief executive kate carnell currently sits on the federal government’s national food plan working group to advise on a strategic policy framework for australia’s food industry ... some of the key issues industry has already raised include having: a clear vision for the agri-food sector and how it can contribute the good of the nation in the medium to long term; a whole of government commitment to appropriate policy settings to deliver an environment in which australian producers and manufacturers can be competitive with imports and in the export market incentives for r&d leading to product innovation and increased production an efficient national transport system with better infrastructure and consistent rules and regulations an available, skilled workforce an environmentally sustainable food chain – with a focus on better packaging, efficient use of water, minimising food waste and energy use a focus on improving export capacity continuous improvements in food safety support for production of clean, healthy and affordable food both for australia and the world

... consumer advocacy group choice says implications of the supermarkets’ milk pricing battle should be seen in the wider frame of competition issues in the grocery sector and the need for a national food policy, and has called for a national food policy and supermarket ombudsman to be established ... “consumers do not ‘win’ if heavy discounting in the short term has the effect of reducing product choice or undermining food security in the medium or long term,” said choice director of campaigns christopher zinn ... “choice believes that the milk price debate highlights the obvious lack of perspective and understanding surrounding the potential impacts of the growth in major supermarket generic brands and associated issues around future food prices and food security ... ” as such, the consumer group is arguing for a whole-of-government approach to a national food policy that tackles information and regulatory gaps ... “we believe a more centralised approach is needed to ensure the many and varied players along the food supply chain operate in a coordinated and strategic manner,” said zinn ... “this would mean decisions affecting the future of australia’s food industry are coherent and consistent ... because of the complexity of issues involved in competition throughout the supermarket sector, choice believes a supermarket ombudsman would be well placed to considider every step along the food value chain, and would be able to direct research priorities under a national food policy