June 14, 2024
Food for thought (leadership)
Establishing a Federal Ministry and Department of Food in Australia would help elevate the growth of our national food and beverage manufacturing sector, and create clarity on Australia’s F&B priorities and aspirations. FaBA Director Dr Chris Downs told an Australian Parliament Committee on Industry, Science and Resources that there were cost savings to be made by streamlining Australia’s approach to F&B.
The Committee Inquiry into Food and Beverage Manufacturing in Australia is considering how best to support the expansion of Australia’s F&B manufacturing industry through enhanced innovation and value-adding opportunities.
Dr Downs was invited to give evidence and expand on points made in a submission authored by 16 researchers and F&B leaders associated with FaBA.
“A Food Ministry would provide clarity on the priorities for Australia and bring together the key policy, investment, technology and innovation enablers. Ultimately, this will reduce costs and increase speed to market for industry,” Dr Downs said.
Food Agribusiness Network (FAN) CEO Nicole McNaughton and Turbine Sunshine Coast CEO Andrew Eves-Brown also gave evidence at the Inquiry, speaking to the challenges faced by SMEs.
“The biggest challenge for small business is often the capital investment. Growth requires a leap of faith that they often cannot afford. That is where shared services business models, such as Turbine, are so beneficial as sharing the costs helps enormously,” said Andrew Eves-Brown.
Read the full FaBA submission to the Inquiry here.