FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN ALLIANCE WELCOMES FOOD REPORT AND THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT AUSTRALIAIS HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO BOTH DOMESTIC AND GLOBAL THREATS WHICH MUST BE PLANNED FOR.

The National Food Supply Chain Alliance, made up of nine influential national food industry
associations representing 160,000 food businesses, has welcomed yesterdays ‘Australian Food Story
– Feeding the Nation and Beyond’ report by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on
Agriculture.

It welcomes the emphasis on ‘supply chain resilience’ adding that it believes a risk
mitigation strategy is critical to creating resilience and ultimately protecting the national economy
and future prosperity.

It welcomes the recommendation that the Australian Government coordinate with industry in the
development of a National Food Supply Chain Map but says the map must include: a framework for
identifying supply chain risks (global and domestic), assessing their potential impact and then
developing a plan to reduce the impact of the threat.

The Alliance says it’s a question of getting ahead of the risk and anticipating security needs and addressing them before they become problems.


The Alliance, which represents every component of the nation’s food supply chain from paddock to
plate, says the threats are numerous and some, such as natural disasters, unprecedented in scale
and regularity.

Supply-chain security and resilience must be a focus of attention for both
government and industry because the risk demands it.

Current and potential disruptors impacting Australia’s food supply chain include global geo- political
tensions, natural disasters, cybersecurity attacks, transport and logistics issues, bio-security
outbreaks, financial challenges through rising cost of business and workforce shortages and future
human health outbreaks.

The OECD puts in succinctly when talking about the need for supply chain resilience: Governments
have three broad tasks to undertake, the exact nature of which may vary according to the type of
risk.

These tasks are to: (i) prevent risks; (ii) detect and anticipate crises; and iii) prepare policy
responses.

The Alliance says industry must work in collaboration with government as part of a food supply
chain risk prevention strategy that regularly reviews risks and vulnerabilities.

The Alliance believes government, opposition and industry must work together to fully understand
the complexities of the food supply chain and examine how specific events might impact the various
pieces of the food supply chain jigsaw puzzle.

This approach must incorporate the entire ‘living’ food supply chain eco-system, from paddock to plate, encompassing production, processing, distribution, retail, consumption, and disposal.

What is the National Food Supply Chain Alliance The National Food Supply Chain Alliance (NFSCA) represents all facets of Australia’s food supply chain from farmers, processors, grocers and butchers, independent supermarkets, convenience stores, wholesale suppliers and distributors to food retailers including cafes, restaurants, hotels, and clubs.

In total, the nine national food industry associations represent over 165,000 businesses with
a combined revenue of a staggering $200 billion and who employ almost 1 million workers.

The Associations include: The National Farmers Federation (NFF), Australian Meat Industry Council,
(AMIC), Independent Food Distributors Australia (IFDA), Master Grocers Australia (MGA), the
Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS), AUSVEG, Seafood Industry Australia (SIA),
the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association and the Refrigerated Warehouse and Transport
Association of Australia.

Contact: Richard Forbes CEO – Independent Food Distributors Australia – 0427 270687