Reducing perishable food spoilage

Food Science Australia and the national Cold Chain Centre (CCC) in Adelaide have joined forces to help reduce the estimated $20 billion lost globally as a result of the spoilage of perishable foods during storage and transportation.

Food Science Australia and the CCC will develop and facilitate a suite of training and education programs aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the Australian logistics industry.

A senior research engineer in Food Science Australia's Supply Chain Innovation section, Dr Silvia Estrada-Flores, says the training programs will offer importers and exporters a more holistic understanding of the impact of storage and distribution practices on the quality of their products.

"Armed with the right knowledge about the distribution process, food suppliers can overcome process inefficiencies, improve product quality and reduce waste during transportation," Dr Estrada-Flores says.

The complementary capabilities of the new research agreement are expected to accelerate knowledge transfer between the scientific R&D community and the food industry.

"Combining Food Science Australia's practical experience in supply chain issues with the CCC's extensive connections with industry, marks an important milestone in improving training and education programs for the logistics, food and pharmaceuticals industries in Australia," Dr Estrada-Flores says.

The new training and education programs will be developed and phased-in over the next 12 months.

The Cold Chain Centre aims to improve Australia's perishable foods logistics performance through R&D and industry training programs.