Industry calls for supply chain plan as food prices set to rise

Long-term supply chain issues are set to further increase food prices if action is not taken, according to the National Food Supply Chain Alliance.

The Alliance is made up of nine Australian food industry associations, covering every component of the nation’s domestic food supply chain from paddock to plate. It has said that the only solution to stabilising future food price fluctuations and reducing food shortages is to urgently establish the ‘National Food Security Plan’.

With threats such as ongoing natural disasters and labour shortages now at an unprecedented level, the Alliance has met with government and the opposition to explain the risks to the economy. It has recommended that a Food Industry Working Group, representing all facets of the supply chain, be established to partner with government to design the framework for the National Plan that addresses all the potential disruptors to the nation’s food supply chain under ‘one’ coordinated national strategy.

Other current and potential disruptors impacting Australia’s food supply chain include global geopolitical tensions, transport and logistics issues, financial challenges through rising cost of business, and future human and animal disease outbreaks.

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.

The associations within the Alliance 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.

In October, the Australian Parliament’s Agriculture Committee commenced an inquiry into food security in Australia and is calling for submissions from interested stakeholders until 9 December.

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