Weathering the storm: climate resilience in the food & beverage sector

As Australia’s food and beverage manufacturing sector looks towards the near future, one factor is impossible to ignore: climate. The past year has been a stark reminder that floods, fires and other extreme weather events are no longer rare disruptions, they’re the new normal, reshaping the landscape of food production, processing and distribution.

Recent floods in Queensland and devastating bushfires in Victoria have exposed just how vulnerable our food and beverage supply chains are to climate shocks in Australia. These events have disrupted transport routes, delayed ingredient deliveries and forced temporary shutdowns of processing facilities. The result? Not just short-term shortages and price hikes, but a fundamental challenge to the reliability and resilience of Australia’s largest manufacturing sector.

Australia’s food and beverage industry, which employs over 270,000 people and contributes more than 32% of all manufacturing turnover, is now facing unprecedented pressure to adapt. Key sectors such as dairy and grain processors, beverages, plant-based innovators and meat producers, are all grappling with the reality that climate risk is business risk.

In this climate-challenged environment, reliability isn’t just a competitive edge, it’s a lifeline. Manufacturers need partners and systems they can trust, no matter what the weather brings. This is where Burkert Australia can help. Its automation solutions are designed for resilience, precision and uptime, qualities that are now essential for food and beverage manufacturers navigating a future of climate uncertainty.

Burkert’s hygienic instrumentation and automation systems are designed to meet the world’s strictest standards (FDA, EC1935/2004, NSF), supporting everything from fermentation and batching to clean-in-place (CIP/SIP) and plant-based protein processing. Its technologies, like the contactless FLOWave flowmeter and predictive ValveInsight maintenance tool, enable real-time monitoring, reduce waste and help safeguard product quality, even during extreme weather events.

As climate risks intensify, the sector’s leaders are those investing in climate resilience, adopting technologies that enable real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and rapid response to supply chain shocks.

Looking ahead, Australia’s food and beverage manufacturers must future-proof their operations, not just for efficiency and compliance, but for survival.

At Burkert, sustainability is deeply rooted in its company culture and strategy. It has set an ambitious vision for a regenerative economy, aiming not just to minimise harm but to generate positive environmental impacts and support natural cycles. Its sustainability strategy, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, commits to CO₂ neutrality in Scope 1 and 2 by 2028 (with a 33% real reduction from 2023), reducing the carbon footprint of its products, and fostering diversity and inclusion in its workforce.

For its customers, this means partnering with a supplier whose solutions help decarbonise operations, improve energy efficiency and conserve resources, all while ensuring process reliability and compliance. Its global sustainability program and local initiatives ensure it delivers sustainable value, not just promises.

Burkert said it is proud to stand with the industry, helping build a more resilient, sustainable and future-ready food system for Australia.

Burkert’s climate-resilient solutions will be exhibited at foodpro 2026 on stand S22.

Image credit: iStock.com/BeyondImages