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Food-e-News, February 2009

  1. Seafood summary highlights market trends
  2. Consumers filling trolleys with home brands
  3. Showcasing your products at HOFEX
  4. What's your flavour?
  5. On a mission to Dubai
  6. GrowSmart students at SA Food Centre
  7. Grants up to $200,000 available for exporters
  8. Sponsor the Awards, support your industry
  9. Safer shellfish with SARDI
  10. Delivering on dairy

Seafood summary highlights market trends

The new Market Summary of South Australian Seafood highlights a diverse industry ready to take advantage of increasing consumption of seafood in Australia and overseas. Developed by PIRSA’s Market Intelligence Unit the report details the state’s key seafood markets and the competitive position of SA seafood products in those markets. The report shows that 95% of SA seafood products were sold in Australia, Japan or Hong Kong and that for most products sales are currently concentrated in a single market. Other highlights include areas where seafood can capitalise on major consumer trends in food such as health, convenience and pleasure. Increasingly consumers are also looking for credence attributes of their food products, attributes that are not identifiable by the look, feel or taste of the actual food. These include ethical production, natural ingredients, environmental impact and sustainability. SA’s clean waters and sustainable fishery and aquaculture management provide the opportunity to differentiate and promote SA seafood in line with these trends.

Market Summary of South Australian Seafood (html)

Want more information?

Matthew Palmer
SA Food Centre
p: +61 8 8226 1919
e: palmer.matthew2@saugov.sa.gov.au

Consumers filling trolleys with home brands

According to the recently released Nielsen’s Annual Grocery Report 2008 cooking from scratch grocery products are enjoying strong gains as consumers tighten their belts while home brands reached an all time high. Some of the fastest growing grocery categories included flour, cream, baking aids, butter, bread mixes and baking additives. Other products to make this list reflected consumers’ search for convenient and healthy meal solutions including hot cereals, sports and energy drinks and frozen meals. Another trend driving category growth in grocery retailing included consumers’ continued search for ‘fresh’, ‘natural’ and ‘convenient’ offerings, a penchant which has seen further growth for specialist retailers. Fifty percent of Australian consumers shopped in a fruit and vegetable shop in the last seven days and about one third in butchers/fish shops. Consumers opting to buy from specialist food retailers are mostly motivated by a perception of better quality.

Summary of Nielsen's Annual Grocery Report 2008 (pdf, 1.89MB)

For a full report

Nielsen
w www.au.nielsen.com

Showcasing your products at HOFEX

The South Australian food and beverage showcase at HOFEX 2009 provides the opportunity to maximise exposure of your produce. Food Adelaide is holding a showcase of South Australian food and beverage in Hong Kong 6 to 9 May 2009. HOFEX is one of Asia’s largest food and hospitality tradeshows which in 2007 attracted 1,800 exhibiting companies and 29,193 visitors (30% international visitors). The showcase will minimise the cost of participation by displaying a portfolio of products, and is an ideal way to test the market.

For more information

Clare Bagshaw
Food Adelaide
p +61 8 8300 0022
e clareb@business-sa.com

What's your flavour?

Flavour SA is starting 2009 with a workshop and market awareness visit to Perth.

As one of the former Directors of Copperpot Dips and Pate, Ray Khabbaz knows what you have to do and how to get there. With no previous experience in the food industry, Ray joined Copperpot in 2001 and worked with fellow Director, Michael Demetriou to build up what was a family owned small business into one of South Australia’s leading food businesses. Attend the Flavour SA workshop on Tuesday 10 March 2009 to find out what their plan was, what challenges they faced and how they did it all.

Flavour SA Workshop - March (pdf, 295kb)

Not quite ready to exhibit this year but would like to sample the Trade Show experience and get a taste of what Perth retailers and distributors can do to sell your product… then the Perth Market Awareness tour is for you. The tour will introduce you to the Perth market place and introduce the opportunities that exist for your products. It is fully escorted, visiting the Fine Food Exhibition and a range of gourmet food outlets and food distributors that purchase South Australian produce including Fine Food, Centra Fine Foods, Blue Cow, The Boatshed, Fresh Provisions and Fremantle Markets.

Flavour SA Perth Market Awareness (pdf, 304kb)

Want more information?

Catherine Barnett
Flavour SA
p +61 8 8431 7131
e contact@flavoursa.com.au

On a mission to Dubai

Dubai is one of the world’s largest re-exporters and will be home to over 900 new hotels opening between now and 2020. If you’re a food producer, supplier or food service provider, then an introduction to food business in the Middle East could be a great opportunity. The Council for International Trade and Commerce SA (CITCSA) in association with the Australian Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry SA is seeking expressions of interest to participate in a food trade mission to Dubai, 21 to 23 February 2009 in conjunction with Gulfoods 2009. The mission will introduce participants to the food and food service market in Dubai in the Middle East with industry visits to hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and retail outlets, plus the sea and air ports. Steven Marafiote from Australian Quality Plus is leading the mission and will provide insights into how he has developed a successful business with major clients in the Middle East.

Food mission to Dubai flyer (pdf, 270kb)

Want to know more?

Barry Salter
CITCSA
p +61 8 8300 0110
e barry.salter@citcsa.org.au

GrowSmart students at SA Food Centre

The South Australian Food Centre was the perfect learning ground for two school students involved in the GrowSmart program. Rhiannon Cannard and Tonia Koordin joined SA Food Centre food technologists Andrew Barber and Stewart Eddie, to work on a range of projects. These included evaluating the potential to recover mushroom waste and developing a novel range of beverages. The GrowSmart Careers in Science program has been designed to help overcome shortages in science graduates across Australia. A 2005 survey showed that there is a significant shortage of science graduates in fields such as food science, consultancy services (such as agronomy and irrigation), orchard and vineyard management, and technology graduates for a wide range of other fields. Each year secondary school students from the Riverland, Mid North, Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, the Lower Murray and some metropolitan areas take part in the program which includes a formal work placement for each of the students.

For more details

Peter Haines
GrowSmart Careers in Science Project
p +61 429 231 946
e phaines@rhctraining.com.au
w www.growsmart.com.au

Grants up to $200,000 available for exporters

The Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) scheme is a key Australian Government financial assistance program for aspiring and current exporters. Administered by Austrade, the scheme supports a wide range of industry sectors and products, including inbound tourism and the export of intellectual property and know-how outside Australia. The scheme encourages small and medium sized Australian businesses to develop export markets. Eligible applicants can apply to receive a grant of up to $200,000. To apply applicants need to submit a completed application form, expense schedules and other supporting documentation between 1 July and 30 November 2009. The EMDG criteria and checklist is available at www.austrade.gov.au/exportgrants

Want to apply?

Austrade (Adelaide)
p +61 8 8202 7812
e emdg.help@austrade.gov.au

Sponsor the Awards, support your industry

Be part of the magic in celebrating the states innovative food industry through The Twelfth Annual South Australian Premier’s Food Awards 2009. Support your industry by becoming a Bronze or Copper sponsor. Bronze sponsorship is a great way to get your name and services promoted directly to the food industry and businesses. Valued at $5K it provides a wealth of promotional opportunities such as regular media, inclusion of logo on printed materials and website, complimentary tickets and much more. While a Copper sponsor is a great starting point to show your support of the Awards and is valued at $1.5K. This year the Awards will be conjuring up a magical and enchanting program. Already nearly all Award categories have been sponsored with San Remo, KPMG, Food and Beverage Development Fund, Peats Soil & Garden Supplies, SARDI, Rural Solutions SA, Coopers Brewery plus Divine Space joining the Awards for another year.

Interested in sponsorship?

Sue Rogers
SA Food Centre
p +61 8 8226 0468
e rogers.suem@saugov.sa.gov.au
w www.safoodawards.com.au

Safer shellfish with SARDI

The quality and safety of South Australian oysters is in good hands with the recent appointment of international shellfish food safety scientist, Dr Cath McLeod to SARDI. Dr McLeod’s research is funded by the Australian Seafood CRC and Marine Innovation SA linking a consortia of national and industry partners. They will be establishing internationally accepted methods for detecting and testing viruses in shellfish initially focusing on norovirus. Dr McLeod will survey growing areas in at least three States (SA, NSW and Tasmania). Rising exports of oysters has underlined the need for routine testing and with increasing scrutiny of shellfish industries internationally, Dr Mcleod foresees increasing regulations for importers. “Having a testing capacity in Australia will help growers and authorities, who are currently sending samples overseas, to reduce costs and cut turn-around times for results,” she said. “Through having rigorous tests, it will be possible to demonstrate to the world that Australian shellfish are among the safest to eat.” Dr McLeod will be joined by PhD Student Felicity Brake in research that will tailor risk-based monitoring programs to regional conditions.

For further information

Cath McLeod
SARDI
P +61 8 8207 7904
m +429 100 464
w mcleod.cath@saugov.sa.gov.au

Delivering on dairy

Prof. Bruce German will be a key note speaker at the joint Dairy Industry Association of Australia SA (DIAA) and the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST) Dairy Science World Series Conference – Functional Dairy Foods 2009. The lecture entitled ‘Delivering dairy foods to the diversity of the human condition’ is being held at Regency Institute of TAFE Thursday 19 February 2009. Prof. German is a professor and food chemist at the University of California’s Department of Food Science and Technology and international expert in the field of human nutrition. He has authored and co-authored more than 250 papers on lipids and food, metabolism and metabolite measurements and food functions, and patented various technologies and applications of bioactive agents. Registration is essential and places are limited.

Invitation and registration form (pdf, 220kb)

Want to know more?

Jo Gilbert
DIAA
p +61 8 8293 2399
m +429 100 464
e sada@sada.asn.au