Catherine Sayer
Covid-19 gave us some memorable sentences. "We're all together" is definitely one of them. And despite all of the overuse of this term in the past 10 months, it's true.
From Food South Australia CEO Catherine Sayer.
Here in South Australia, the state government recently launched the Food, Wine and Agro-Industries Growth Plan for our state, which sets a growth target of $ 23 billion by 2030 and calls for adaptation and resilience to the challenges of the pandemic – and whatever the next 10 May bring years.
This growth plan was developed and is jointly owned by Primary Producers SA, Food SA, the South Australian Wine Industry Association and the South Australian Government. This is vital as these sectors naturally overlap and therefore there is no point in working in isolation. Likewise, an industry-focused approach is critical to achieving the goals set in the plan so we can get off to a good start.
I believe this approach of shared ownership is also an integral part of our work at Food SA – connecting manufacturers, manufacturers, processors, industrial service providers and all levels of government to jointly develop important initiatives for industry growth in our state and to secure the industry Needs are well understood. When this works well, it accomplishes so much for everyone.
While this plan applies to South Australia, the key message applies at the national level as well. Covid may have temporarily closed borders, but we all understand that the mechanics of our industry means many companies have customers and sometimes operations in more than one state. So if we think out of bounds and also out of place, what are the defining characteristics of effective industrial collaboration?
We need clear communication. We need trust and transparency. We need it now more than ever.
The disruption we saw this year is not going to go away in the short term, which means food and beverage companies should consider possible changes in shelf life requirements that may require new approaches to distribution logistics that take longer could take or may not be as robust as traditional export routes.
The pandemic has also highlighted the need for Australian food and beverage companies to seek transformational technologies and processes to advance the nature of product development and diversification that will appeal to new markets and new customers in order to offset the risk they experience what some companies experienced in March when entire sales channels temporarily evaporated overnight.
As a business and industrial community, we all know that there are several other huge challenges ahead, such as identifying viable solutions for single-use plastics in the manufacture and packaging of food and beverages. We know we need to work with other parts of the supply chain, including recycling and waste management experts, to find innovative solutions that can be delivered here in Australia that make financial sense for manufacturers, retailers, consumers and the waste industry itself.
Information, knowledge and experience need to be shared in order to accelerate the process of addressing these challenges. Sharing hard-earned expertise can feel like a risk to individual companies. Hence, an implicit level of trust is required and an agreement must be made on what will be shared, how it will be shared and who will share it.
There are many questions as this turbulent year comes to an end. Everyone is involved in this game from government agencies to manufacturers, retailers and consumers to all companies and service providers to keep the industry going. Imagine what we can achieve when we are really together.
Dr. Seuss seems appropriate as we approach the festive season and take a moment to step back from the list of (somewhat relentless) challenges for 2020: “We're headed to great places. Today is our day. Our mountain is waiting, so we're on our way. "
About Catherine Sayer
Catherine has headed Food South Australia since its inception in 2010 and is passionate about leading the development of the industry's umbrella organization with a focus on industry growth and advocacy. She is also a member and chairman of a number of boards.
catherine@foodsa.com.au
About Essen South Australia
Food South Australia is the state's umbrella organization for the food and beverage industry committed to supporting and sustaining the industry in the state by helping businesses of all sizes develop their markets, capabilities and industry connections. Food South Australia is independent, industry driven and membership focused.
Foodsouthaustralia.com.au
