The Minister for Innovation announced the membership of the new Food Processing Industry Strategy Group today. This group will play an important role in ensuring Australia’s food sector is productive, sustainable and ready for the massive growth in global food demand.
Food processing is one of Australia’s largest manufacturing sectors employing over 200,000 Australians and sustaining communities across the country. Climate change and shifts in the global economy have brought new challenges for the sector. The government considers the only way to meet these challenges is to change the way we do business. The Strategy Group will invistage ways to capitalise on our competitive edge in science, research, and advanced processing technologies.
In the last financial year alone, Australia exported more than $16 billion of processed food products. With the human population expected to hit nine billion by 2050, the world will have to produce and process more food more efficiently in the next 50 years than it ever has before, if it is to have a chance of feeding itself. The new strategy group will focus on ensuring that the Australian food processing and manufacturing industry continues to attract investment and build new capabilities.
Members of the Food Processing Industry Strategy Group are:
- Rebecca Dee-Bradbury – Kraft Foods
- Brian Crawford – Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union
- Charlie Donnelly – National Union of Workers
- John Doumani – Fonterra
- Jennifer Dowell – Australian Manufacturing Workers Union
- Professor Mike Gidley – University of Queensland
- Jodie Goldsworthy – Beechworth Honey Pty Ltd
- Stuart Grainger – Don KRC
- Bob Hamilton – Earlee Products Pty Ltd
- Peter Lancaster – Food Spectrum Group
- Peter Margin – Goodman Fielder
- Rob Murray – Lion Nathan
- Terry O’Brien – Simplot Australia Pty Ltd
- Professor Alastair Robertson – CSIRO
- Felicity Robson-Rous – One Harvest
- Michael Schwager – Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (Chairperson)
The group will meet first on 14 February 2011 with a further five meetings planned over the next 18 months.
