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Australia’s key role in global food security

food priceAustralia’s food industry could play an important role as the world looks at the need to feed nine billion people by 2050.

It is a role that would involve several players over the next decade, if our industry is to evolve and expand so as to help meet this growing demand. Food producers, manufacturers, scientists, universities and policy makers need to work together to better supply Australia and the world with ample nutritious food.

Fostering a culture of innovation, investing in new technologies and setting up networks to enable the food industry to collaborate more meaningfully are all key to supporting sustainable industry growth.

Despite Australia having one of the best food industries in the world, there has been a steady decline in innovation and product development, largely because of manufacturing cost pressures combined with a high Australian dollar and an increasingly competitive environment.

Strong prospects

However, the growth prospects for food manufacturing in Australia are strong, as detailed in the latest Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) State of the Industry Report. It shows that food exports have been surging – in 2014-15, processed food and beverage exports were up 28 per cent, to $26 billion.

Also, Australia has a proud history as a producer and exporter of food, and 90 per cent of fresh food sold in Australia is grown and supplied by Australian farmers. The situation for processed food is the same.

Despite these obvious strengths, if food businesses and the wider food-industry support network do not start thinking and working innovatively, this situation may change.

Australia is strategically poised to take advantage of emerging markets in Asia, where the expanding middle class is expected to represent 85 per cent of population growth by 2030. China will drive the growth in global demand for food, accounting for 43 per cent of the demand, which means great potential for beef, wheat, dairy products, sheep meat and sugar exports. While many people in the industry are aware of the market opportunities, they don’t know how to take advantage of them.

Flagship event

As the independent voice and network for Australia’s food-industry professionals, the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST) is working to help prepare members for the challenges ahead through both skill and capability development, and by enabling networking and collaboration opportunities. Its flagship annual event, the AIFST Convention, will be held in Brisbane on 27 and 28 June. This 49th edition will have as its theme “The Pulse of the Industry”. The program includes plenary sessions that examine macro trends affecting the Australian food industry, including challenges and opportunities, and a look at what the industry may look like in 20 years’ time.

The convention is one example of how the AIFST is working to unite the industry. Continual education and opportunities to access academic research are important for our industry to move forward.

With the government’s innovation policy high on the agenda for this year, I believe that as an industry we are taking the right steps. New enterprises like crowdsourcing website Pozible and Food Innovation Australia’s (FIAL) export market tools and strategies, plus the rise of 3D and 4D printing and developments in food storage, are changing how the industry works.

Together with a suite of free-trade agreements across Asia creating a more global regulatory network, the framework in which we work has changed. It is exciting to be part of our industry’s next phase, and events like the AIFST Convention are an essential part of continuing the industry’s evolvement.

Georgie Aley is CEO of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST). This article first appeared in the April edition of Inside FMCG. Subscribe now to get your copy. 

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