Industry bodies criticise National Food Plan

The National Food Plan has elicited critical responses from several industry bodies, including the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) and AUSVEG.

According to the AFGC, the National Food Plan contains worthy goals for boosting food exports, but is “short on action”. The lack of urgency in addressing the food manufacturing sector’s competitiveness is of concern, AFGC CEO Gary Dawson said.

AUSVEG spokesperson Hugh Gurney said the plan fails to recognise the challenges facing the Australian horticulture industry.

“The initiatives outlined in the plan fail to address the immense challenges facing the Australian processed vegetable industry, which has seen a spate of closures, such as Rosella, in the past 18 months,” Gurney said. “We are not convinced that the plan will assist struggling growers and processing operations.”

“The aspirations laid out in the National Food Plan will require a much bolder set of policies and actions if they are to become a reality,” Dawson said. “Given the scale and importance of food production and processing to the Australian economy, the initiatives outlined are very modest. There is little to build confidence to invest and no immediate action to tackle regulatory reform.”

While AUSVEG welcomed the Brand Australia initiative, Gurney said the budget allocation - $2 million - is too little to have an effect on sales. “A much greater commitment to this initiative is required if there are to be any tangible effects for Australian food producers,” Gurney said.

AUSVEG also criticised the lack of detail on both biosecurity measures and country of origin labelling.

“Australian vegetable and potato growers are understandably underwhelmed by the National Food Plan in its current state, despite their importance in providing for the health and nutrition needs of both Australians and consumers in overseas markets such as Asia and the Middle East,” Gurney concluded.

A summary of the National Food Plan is available here.