Economic snapshot of food manufacturing in SE Melbourne

The latest economic snapshot report released from the Australian Food and Grocery Council has revealed that a quarter of all manufacturing jobs in South East Melbourne are now in the food manufacturing industry. South East Melbourne food and grocery processing is the fifth-largest economic contributor across the five federal Victorian electorates of Aston, Chisholm, Deakin, Hotham and Isaacs.

“Food and grocery manufacturing employers in South East Melbourne range from major global companies like Chobani in Dandenong or Simplot in Pakenham, through to strong Australian brands like Carman’s Fine Food in Cheltenham,” said Australian Food & Grocery CEO Tanya Barden.

Other key South East Melbourne food and grocery manufacturers include Coca-Cola Amatil, General Mills, Fonterra, Mondelez, Yakult Australia, Simplot and Lactalis.

“All these operations are dedicated to ensuring that workers in South East Melbourne can access long-term, secure careers and continue to invest, innovate and employ locals into exciting careers,” Barden said.

The report indicated that wages and salaries contributed $1.29 billion into the South East Melbourne economy, equating to an average of $79,000 for every full-time worker. Food and grocery manufacturing employs 16,190 workers, making it the eleventh-largest jobs provider after Manufacturing, Construction, Real Estate, Care & Social Assistance and Education & Training. The sector also has an $11.10 billion annual output, making it the fifth-largest industry in terms of outputs.

“Jobs can range from the factory floor right through to the highly technical. This is a manufacturing sector which is growing, and it will continue to grow as the appetite for high-quality Australian products continues to expand,” Barden said.

Barden said Australians should consider the food manufacturing industry as not only a huge contributor to the economy, but as an exciting sector to build a career.

Table 1: South East Melbourne Food, Beverage and Grocery Manufacturing, 2018.

Table 2: South East Melbourne Food, Beverage and Grocery Manufacturing, 2018.

Top image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/industrieblick