Tecweigh provides food grade, stainless steel feeders for the industry that are highly accurate, dependable and hygienic, and are suitable for a range of applications. Read more
Rising from the ashes
When it comes to an industry as broad as food manufacturing, it is hard to be one of a kind. Primarily supplying to the foodservice market, Phoenix Frozen Foods is Australia’s only vertically integrated potato product manufacturer, overseeing the lifecycle of the product from farm to plate. Read more
Fresh solutions to transporting perishables
Over the last two years, ocean freight and worldwide transport systems have experienced significant delays, impacting almost every industrial sector across Australia. More than ever, the importance of keeping perishable cargo in a controlled and safe environment while in transit has come to the front of everyone’s attention. Read more
Woolworths phase out plastic bags ahead of WA ban
Woolworths will be the first major supermarket to be phasing out its 15 cent plastic shopping bags in Western Australia ahead of the new state legislation ban of plastic bags from July this year. Read more
Queensland wines – a vintage way to celebrate the nation
The Queensland government has encouraged revellers to add some distinctive Queensland flavours to their Australia Day celebrations, in recognition of the state’s vibrant wine industry. Read more
PM boosts Australian food manufacturing with $33 million in grants
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a further $33 million will support Australian made food and beverage companies in the latest round of Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI) funding. Read more
Cobram Estate competes with entire countries when it comes to olive oil production
Cobram Estate Olives is producing millions of litres of olive oil every harvest and within two decades of its foundation produces 70 per cent of Australia’s olive oil. Read more
The Swag produce bag combats food waste and plastic pollution
The Swag has become the world’s first non-toxic, sustainable, machine-washable and compostable food storage and produce bag that is scientifically proven to keep fruit and vegetables fresh for over two weeks. Read more
Plant-based, Thai Pam Pam Buns releases new range
Pam Pam Buns, an Australian manufacturer of authentic Thai plant-based buns and ready-made meals, has announced the release of a new range of curry pouches and ready-made meals. Read more
How important is “Australian-Made” in food and drink?
In the face of a looming recession, questions about price and value are at the forefront of consumers’ concerns. At the same time consumers are more aware of where their food comes from, and there is a growing desire to support local companies. How can brands capitalise on these consumer sentiments?
Mintel’s Purchase Intelligence tool tells you what new products Australian consumers want to buy and why. Join us as our Senior Food and Drink Analyst, Megan Stanton delves into the topic of ‘Australian-made’ and how consumers judge this claim.
We will discuss
- Which brands are doing “Australian made” well?
- Which consumers are most interested in Australian made products?
- Is the per cent of Australian made ingredients important to consumers?
- Will consumers pay for the benefit of ‘Australian-made’?
Click here and register now!
Australia Made joins forces with Primex Field Days
The Australian Made Campaign (AMCL) has announced its alliance with Primex Field Days, forming a new relationship to support and further promote the growth of the Australian agriculture sector.
Traditionally held at Casino in the Northern Rivers of NSW, Primex Field Days is one of Australia’s most diverse agricultural events, aimed at bringing city and rural communities together to showcase sustainable Australian primary production and food.
Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ben Lazzaro, said “Australian Made is delighted to welcome Primex Field Days on board. The demand for quality Australian Made agricultural machinery and clean green produce is continuing to grow, and Primex Field days allows exhibitors and attendees to participate in this growth.”
Mr Lazzaro continued, saying “Primex Field Days has helped to shape the success story that Australian agriculture has become today, and the inclusion of the Australian Made logo will only enhance this story.”
Evolving from a localised event to one of the country’s leading primary industries expos, Primex Field Days hosts more than 400 exhibitors and is attended by over 25,000 visitors each year.
Bruce Wright, Director of Primex Field Days, said, “We are thrilled to be partnering with the Australian Made Campaign to continue to support Australia’s local farming community in our world-class ‘food bowl’.
“Primex supports Australian agricultural manufacturers and producers on both a national and international level. Being one of Australia’s largest agricultural and primary industry events is what sets us apart from other events.”
With the current restrictions posed by COVID-19, Primex Field Days has adopted a virtual event business strategy, with the next physical show planned for 10-12 September 2020.
“We have all had to modify and rethink how we go about business due to COVID-19. This year we are excited to launch Primex’s Online Business Hub, a first for any field days event. The ‘virtual expo’ is designed to support all of our stakeholders and help local producers connect and do business.”
Australian Made welcomes support for Aussie manufacturers and exporters
The Australian Made Campaign Ltd (AMCL) has welcomed today’s announcement from the Federal Government outlining its commitment to support Australian manufacturers here and abroad.
The commitment will see AMCL receive up to $5M to promote the famous Australian Made, Australian Grown (AMAG) logo in key export markets, as well as establishing trade mark registrations in the United Kingdom, European Union and Canada. The announcement also details the establishment of a Manufacturing Modernisation Fund aimed at assisting manufacturers access new technologies to expand and thrive into the future.
“It’s really encouraging to see this level of commitment to Australian manufacturers,” said Australian Made chief executive, Ben Lazzaro.
“It’s important that we foster a manufacturing environment that encourages and assists manufacturers to innovate and build on their success, as well as providing pathways to new markets. The end result being a healthy manufacturing sector, job creation and better access to markets.”
The famous green and gold kangaroo brand is ideally positioned to play a key role in the Government’s effort to support local manufacturers in Australia and those taking their goods abroad.
“The AMAG logo has a proven 33-year track record in making the ‘Australian connection’ here and overseas, so it makes real sense to enhance its effectiveness as export markets continue to open up for Aussie manufacturers,” said Lazzaro.
“While much work has been done in extending the reach of the AMAG logo domestically and into Asia, with the Government’s support, AMCL will be able to further strengthen Australia’s reputation for high-quality, clean, green products further afield.”
The AMAG logo is currently used by nearly three thousand businesses across thousands of products sold all over the world. It is also a central element of the Government’s recently introduced food labelling laws in Australia; it will therefore be featured on the labels of thousands of food products exported from Australia (in addition to the thousands of non-food Australian exports).
It is also a registered trade mark in USA, China, South Korea, Singapore and India, with legal proceedings having commenced to register it in 7 other Asian countries – Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
“AMCL looks forward to working with the Government to help deliver this initiative and help extend the reach of the AMAG logo and that of Aussie manufacturers and exporters,” said Lazzaro.
Australian grown trust mark aims to boost cider exports
People will soon be able to easily identify Australian cider makers, apple growers and pear growers with the launch of Cider Australia’s ‘100 per cent Australian grown’ trust mark.
Cider Australia and Wine Australia worked closely to launch the brand proposition at the eighth annual Australian Cider Awards in early October.
The push to promote Australian made cider comes with help from the Australian government, which is investing $500,000 in the craft cider industry over two years to build a brand proposition and marketing strategy aimed at boosting exports.
The investment is part of the $50 million export and regional wine support package.
READ: Australian wine exports to Germany grow by $10 million in one year
Australian minister for agriculture and water resources David Littleproud said the new mark would boost Australian craft cider sales around the world.
“Australia is known for producing the best food in the world and now our cider makers can take advantage of that reputation.
“This is another way we’re showing customers they’re getting quality Aussie produce,” he said.
“This will put more demand on Aussie apples and pears, so growers can make a quid. Consumers want to support Aussie farmers and this empowers them to do that,” said Littleproud.
The purpose of the funding is to build knowledge of potential export markets and to develop improved understanding for accessing these markets.
Cider Australia and Wine Australia have engaged internationally experienced brand strategist, Guy Taylor, to develop a brand proposition to market Australian craft cider internationally that can be leveraged by Australian cider producers.
A further step will be to develop a Go-To-Market strategy and a ‘toolkit’ to assist producers to understand prospective export markets and navigate the rules and complexities associated with exporting to those markets.
The Australian wine sector has developed an international reputation and exports 61 per cent of its production.
The aim is to achieve growth through building export markets for the cider industry as well.
The program is designed to increase the number of producers exporting from 7 to 20, and increase export revenue from $16.5m to $20m by 2019-20.
Domino’s meets request from Australian government to publish detailed country of origin information
Domino’s has met a request from Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, David Littleproud, to better display country of origin information.
At a Country of Origin Labelling roundtable in May — which included McDonalds, Subway, KFC and Domino’s — major fast food outlets agreed to put country of origin information on their websites and apps, said Littleproud.
“I asked fast food stores to give their customers country of origin information, and Domino’s delivered.”
In just a few months, Domino’s was the first major fast food outlet to voluntarily display greater country of origin information on its website and app.
READ: Country of origin food labelling surveillance to commence
Customers now have the chance to check the percentage of Domino’s products that are Australian made.
“This gives their customers the chance to choose Australian,” said Littleproud.
“Aussies deserve to know which products are Australian especially as so many Australians use country of origin as a gauge of food quality.
“I hope the others get a slice of the action soon,” he said.
New country of origin labelling requirements became mandatory for most foods on the 1st of July 2018.
But, low-priority foods including highly processed confectionary and snacks, tea, coffee, alcohol and other beverages are not subject to the legislation.
The government is encouraging fast food providers to voluntarily get on board.
Australian Made appoints new chief executive
The Board of Australian Made Campaign has appointed Ben Lazzaro as its new chief executive.
The organisation is responsible for promoting and administering the nation’s iconic green-and-gold Australian Made, Australian Grown logo.
Lazzaro will succeed retiring chief executive, Ian Harrison, who steps down at the end of July.
Lazzaro has an engineering and communications background with more than 15 years’ experience across a variety of management, sales, marketing and communications roles in consultancy, agency and in-house capacities.
READ: Most Aussies look for food with Australian Made logo – research
He joined Australian Made in 2011 as a marketing and communications manager and in 2016 he took on the role of deputy chief executive.
Australian Made campaign chairman, Glenn Cooper, said Lazzaro had been a key contributor to the success of the organisation and the Australian Made logo for many years.
“Ben’s combination of skills and experience, paired with his understanding of country of origin matters, have him ideally placed to lead the organisation into its next exciting chapter,” said Cooper.
Lazzaro said it was an honour to be given the opportunity to lead the organisation.
“While enormous progress has been made, there is opportunity for the Australian Made team to further strengthen this Australian icon, here and overseas.”
Lazzaro acknowledged the leadership of the outgoing chief executive in establishing the Australian Made logo as Australia’s global product symbol.
“The logo has become one of the most powerful sales and marketing assets for businesses that make and grow products locally.
“It makes the Australian connection instantly, clearly and with authority, and is synonymous with quality and integrity,” said Lazzaro.
“The challenge ahead is to build on this success, evolve the Australian Made offering and continue to deliver value to Australian manufacturers and growers, as well as consumers the world over.”
Lazzaro will officially take on the role on the 1st of August 2018.
Most Aussies look for food with Australian Made logo – research
New research from market intelligence agency Mintel reveals that as many 72 per cent of metro Australians make the effort to buy food or drink products with an Australian Made/Grown logo, while 17 per cent always make it a point to do the same.
Among the urban Australians who purchase products with the Australian Made/Grown logo, three in 10 (29 per cent) do so because the logo helps to instill trust in the product/brand, while one in four (25 per cent) believe that it builds the authenticity of a product.
With safety scares more frequent than ever, Mintel research shows that 28 per cent of urban Australians say that the Australian Made/Grown logo assures them of the health or safety level of food or drink products.
Meanwhile, the recent changes made to the Australian Made/Grown logo appear to have had a positive effect on Australian consumers with six in 10 urban Australians agreeing that the new percentage bar tells them clearly the proportion of ingredients in the product that are either local or imported.
However, homegrown products and services seem to have less of an effect on Australia’s iGeneration (post-Millennial) consumers. Just 19 per cent of urban Australian consumers aged 18-24 say that they are most likely to be influenced to purchase locally-made or grown products or services. Instead, bigger influencers for Australia’s iGens include products or services that provide convenience (40 per cent), or are from their favourite brand (34 per cent). In comparison, older generations are more inclined to feel strongly about local products or services as indicated by urban Australians aged 45-54 (39 per cent) and those 55 and above (56 per cent).
When it comes to winning the trust of Australia’s younger population, companies that pursue progressive policies or campaigns will be the winners of this race—particularly when it comes to fighting for equality. A whopping 71 per cent of urban Australians aged 18-34 say that gender equality is important to them, according to Mintel research. Indicating the need for more gender equality in Australia, as many as one in three (33 per cent) Australian females disagree that their gender is accurately represented in advertising, while over six in 10 (65 per cent) Australian females are concerned with the wage difference between men and women.
Finally, Mintel research shows that overall one third of (32 per cent) urban Australians say that their favourite brands play a big part in influencing their purchase decisions. And it is through friendship that brands can win consumer trust and loyalty. Mintel Trend ‘Accentuate the Negative’ discusses how brands across the world are turning negatives into positives by highlighting their mistakes and shortcomings, all in the name of trust and transparency.
Australian Made reminds shoppers buy Aussie this Easter
The Australian Made Campaign is encouraging all shoppers to have an ‘eggscellent’ time this Easter by celebrating Australian products and produce.
Whether visiting a supermarket, chocolatier or fishmonger, shoppers should look for the green-and-gold kangaroo logo this Easter, if they want to be sure what they are buying is genuinely Australian.
“The Australian Made, Australian Grown logo is a quick and easy reference tool shoppers can rely on if they want to buy products made and grown in Australia,” Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ian Harrison said.
The logo can be found on some 20,000 products, which are also listed on the online product directory at www.australianmade.com.au.
Mr Harrison says the quality and safety standards for food production in Australia are some of the most stringent in the world and are part of the reason Australian food producers have earned themselves such stellar reputations.
“And if value for money is a key factor in your purchasing decision, Australian farmers, fishermen and manufacturers can deliver,” Mr Harrison said.
Australia Day – a great day to get behind the ‘green and gold’
If you want your Australia Day to be as authentic as possible, products carrying the Australian Made, Australian Grown (AMAG) logo should be a big part of the celebrations.
“Australia Day is just that – a special day where we celebrate all the great things about being Aussie and that includes all the great things we grow and make,” Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ian Harrison, said.
“It’s a very apt time for consumers wanting to support local farmers and manufacturers and the best way for consumers to know that what they’re buying is genuine Aussie is to look for the AMAG logo.” Mr Harrison added.
“We want consumers to look for the famous green and gold kangaroo logo whenever possible and to get behind the products and produce that our great country has to offer.”
The AMAG logo is the only registered country of origin certification for all products and produce made or grown in Australia. More than 2600 businesses are registered to use the AMAG logo, which can be found on some 20,000 products sold here and around the world.
“It’s great to see consumers starting their year off on the right foot by supporting Aussie producers on Australia Day but we also want to see that backing continue throughout the year – let’s make every day Australia Day,” Mr Harrison said.
Australian Made Campaign to provide ‘Accessing China’ webinar
The Australian Made Campaign has partnered with the New South Wales Business Chamber’s Export Growth China initiative to provide a live, interactive webinar aimed at helping Australian businesses make the most of export opportunities and access one of the largest markets in the world, China.
The webinar will explain how country of origin branding can help businesses market their products as genuinely Australian, primarily in China.
Attendees will learn about opportunities available to Australian Made licensees including Oz-Town, Aunew, Premium Australian Food, AusCham and AuShop. They’ll also find out more about Export Growth China, an initiative which gives Australian growers and manufacturers a new channel to market and helps get products or services in front of 1.3 billion Chinese buyers, in a low cost, low risk and practical way.
AMCL Deputy Chief Executive, Ben Lazzaro and Senior Manager, China Practice from Export Growth China, Sara Cheng will both be presenting the webinar and attendees will have the opportunity to ask them both questions at the end of the presentation.
“Our reputation for producing products and produce to high quality and safety standards is driving sales in Australia, but we’re also seeing a huge impact overseas – opportunities for exporters are booming,” Lazzaro said.
The webinar is free and will be held at 12pm AEST on Thursday, 4 August 2016.
More information is available here.
The Australian Made Campaign has partnered with the New South Wales Business Chamber’s Export Growth China initiative to provide a live, interactive webinar aimed at helping Australian businesses make the most of export opportunities and access one of the largest markets in the world, China.
The webinar will explain how country of origin branding can help businesses market their products as genuinely Australian, primarily in China.
Attendees will learn about opportunities available to Australian Made licensees including Oz-Town, Aunew, Premium Australian Food, AusCham and AuShop. They’ll also find out more about Export Growth China, an initiative which gives Australian growers and manufacturers a new channel to market and helps get products or services in front of 1.3 billion Chinese buyers, in a low cost, low risk and practical way.
AMCL Deputy Chief Executive, Ben Lazzaro and Senior Manager, China Practice from Export Growth China, Sara Cheng will both be presenting the webinar and attendees will have the opportunity to ask them both questions at the end of the presentation.
“Our reputation for producing products and produce to high quality and safety standards is driving sales in Australia, but we’re also seeing a huge impact overseas – opportunities for exporters are booming,” Lazzaro said.
The webinar is free and will be held at 12pm AEST on Thursday, 4 August 2016.
Sam Kekovich joins Australian Made Campaign
Australian media personality Sam Kekovich has teamed up with the Australian Made Campaign (AMCL) to encourage shoppers to look for the famous Australian Made, Australian Grown logo when they shop.
The well-known ‘Lambassador’ has taken to the airwaves for AMCL, voicing radio advertisements encouraging consumers to look for genuine Aussie products that carry the logo and buy with confidence.
“There’s nothing more Australian than supporting local products and produce by looking for the iconic green and gold kangaroo logo,” Kekovich said. “You know it makes sense to buy Aussie.”
The radio campaign comes just weeks before the introduction of the Federal Government’s new food labelling program, which will see nearly all food products made or grown in Australia carry the famous Australian Made, Australian grown logo.
“Sam has already been part of something quintessentially Australian in his role as ‘Lambassador’ so it was an obvious choice to get him on board,” AMCL Chief Executive Ian Harrison said.
“Hearing such a well-known Australian identity on radio, encouraging shoppers to buy genuine Australian products and produce will no doubt have an impact,” he said.
The Government’s new food labelling scheme commences on 1 July 2016. Business will have two years to transition to the new food labels.