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... the senate has passed an amendment to the food act requiring that products containing palm oil be explicitly labelled, rather than described as ‘vegetable oil’ ... the bill was passed by coalition votes, and driven by greens senator rachael siewert and independent senator nick xenophon, both of whom have been vocal in their campaigns on the subject of palm oil ... most of the world’s supply of palm oil, an extremely common ingredient in foods and food additives, is produced in malaysia and indonesia, where it is common practice to clearfell forest for plantations ... senator xenophon also emphasised the consumer health aspect of the labelling, saying that australians consume 10kg of palm oil a year without knowing it, and that while other products labelled as ‘vegetable oil’ contain as little as 2% saturated fat, palm oil is 50% saturated fat ... while the bill was rejected last week by a senate committee, the alliance between the opposition and the two senators was enough to pass the bill, which will likely pass in the house of representatives if the coalition-greens alliance holds ... the australian food and grocery council decried the bill, saying the cost of changing a single label would be $10,000 to $19,000, and that food and grocery manufacturers were already under pressure from a ‘perfect storm’ of rising input costs ... “food labels should be about ensuring consumers have important product information relating to health, nutrition and safety ... malaysia also expressed “grave concern”, with the malaysian plantation industries and commodities minister tan sri bernard dompok describing the bill as “discriminatory” ... ” “it is clearly evident that facts and figures provided to the senate community affairs legislative committee have been clearly ignored,” dompok said ... “it is with great regret and disappointment that the australian senate has not accorded the due attention contributed by the oil palm industry in malaysia and the sustainable practices adopted

... the australian food and grocery council (afgc) said it was “disappointing” that the federal government allocated no new funds for a national food plan in the 2011-12 budget ... “the budget contained no extra funding for developing a broad-base national food plan, which is vital for australia’s largest manufacturing industry – food and grocery – to have a long-term, strategic focus to ensure australia has a safe, nutritious and sustainable food supply into the future,” said the industry body ... afgc chief executive kate carnell said: “industry is expecting a white paper to be released in the next month or so and we hoped there would be some extra money for the implementation for the food plan over the next 12 months ... “increasing skilled migration is a very real problem for industry, especially gaining appropriate people all way through the food and grocery supply chain, particular tradespeople,” ms carnell said ... “the establishment of the national workforce development fund (nwdf) and a $558 million investment over four years in regional training programs will also benefit australia’s food and grocery manufacturers who employ 288,000 australians, including half in rural and regional areas ... ” carnell said the government’s significant investments in roads, ports and freight infrastructure across australia would help industry including major highway upgrades ... “road and freight infrastructure is fundamental for getting manufactured products from farm to factory to market, whether the market is in australia or overseas,” ms carnell said ... industry also applauded the government’s commitment to finalise the national freight strategy and develop an implementation strategy ... a commitment to progress the national waste policy and a product stewardship legislative framework was also supported by industry

... the australian food and grocery council has decried the federal government’s proposed carbon tax, saying it will increase the cost of food and grocery manufacturing in australia ... while full details of the carbon tax have not yet been announced, afgc chief executive kate carnell said a tax on carbon would be another cost to food and grocery manufacturers who are currently weathering a “perfect storm” ... “industry is under growing pressure from rising input costs across the supply chain, such as energy, wages and water, higher transport costs, record high global commodity prices and supermarkets forcing down retail prices which is seriously impacting margins,” carnell said ... “the high australian dollar is making imports cheaper and the proposed tax on carbon will further undermine the competitiveness of australian manufactured goods on supermarket shelves ... “the compensation package to be given to australians will not encourage people to buy australian-made food and groceries which will be made less competitive as a result of the carbon tax ... “the compensation, announced by climate change minister greg combet, will not benefit australian food and grocery manufacturers in any way ... ” food and grocery is australia’s largest manufacturing sector, worth more than $102 billion annually in turn-over to the nation and accounts for 9 per cent of australia’s international trade valued at $449 billion in 2008-09

... federal agriculture minister joe ludwig’s announcement to consult australia’s food and grocery manufacturing industry on key issues to develop a national food plan has been welcomed by the australian food and grocery council (afgc) today ... speaking at the abares outlook conference yesterday, senator ludwig said an issues paper would form the first step in designing the food plan to help ensure the long-term sustainability and future growth of agri-foods and australia’s largest manufacturing sector – food and grocery ... afgc chief executive kate carnell said industry consultation was vital in highlighting the significant pressures and major challenges currently facing food and grocery manufacturers, including rising imports, retailer margins and increasing input costs ... “industry is under immense pressures, so it’s encouraging that government wants to listen and adopt a broad-base and long-term strategic framework to ensure this vital sector – employing 288,000 australians remains competitive and continues to grow,” ms carnell said ... “australians want a robust local food production and value-add processing sector – they don’t want to be increasingly reliant on cheap imports for our food supply ... ” afgc chief executive kate carnell currently sits on the federal government’s national food plan working group to advise on a strategic policy framework for australia’s food industry ... some of the key issues industry has already raised include having: a clear vision for the agri-food sector and how it can contribute the good of the nation in the medium to long term; a whole of government commitment to appropriate policy settings to deliver an environment in which australian producers and manufacturers can be competitive with imports and in the export market incentives for r&d leading to product innovation and increased production an efficient national transport system with better infrastructure and consistent rules and regulations an available, skilled workforce an environmentally sustainable food chain – with a focus on better packaging, efficient use of water, minimising food waste and energy use a focus on improving export capacity continuous improvements in food safety support for production of clean, healthy and affordable food both for australia and the world

... supermarket retailer coles is using its market dominance to destabilise the whole of australia’s food and grocery supply chain by cutting prices on essential daily items, the australian food and grocery council (afgc) said today ... afgc highlighted that coles’ “down, down” campaign to heavily discount staple foods like bread and dairy products was designed to increase traffic in coles supermarkets without considering the long-term, flow-on effects to farmers, industry and consumers ... afgc chief executive kate carnell said coles’ claim that their price cutting won’t affect farmers or food and grocery manufacturers was misleading ... ” australia’s $102 billion food and grocery manufacturing sector employs more than 288,000 people - including about half in rural and regional areas - representing about three per cent of all employed people in australia paying around $13 billion a year in salaries and wages, according to afgc’s state of the industry 2010 report ... “coles’ short-sighted move is not a good outcome for ensuring future sustainability and security of australia’s food manufacturing industry which is already under pressure from increasing costs for labour, energy and water - as well as from rising imports and the latest natural disasters,” ms carnell said ... “it’s vital for australia’s largest manufacturing industry to have a long-term, strategic focus to ensure australia has a safe, nutritious, affordable and sustainable food supply into the future ... “industry fully supports the federal government’s move to develop a national food plan in partnership approach with relevant stakeholders, retailers and leading food manufacturers to achieve a broad-base ‘whole-of-supply chain’ strategy ... ” industry is also actively engaged in the national food policy working group to provide high-level policy perspectives and advice on issues across the whole food chain - from paddock to plate

... a landmark new partnership to improve the sustainability of australia’s $102 billion food and grocery manufacturing industry in victoria has been signed today between the victorian government and the australian food and grocery council (afgc) ... under the innovative sustainability covenant, environment protection authority (epa) victoria, sustainability victoria and afgc will commit up to $500,000 over three years to support food and grocery manufacturers in victoria to produce food and grocery products more sustainably by reducing water use, energy use and waste production ... victoria is widely considered australia’s “food bowl”, with about one third of australia’s food coming from the state ... afgc chief executive kate carnell said while many afgc members were reducing their carbon and water footprints, the new covenant – a tri-partisan agreement between afgc, sustainability victoria and the environment protection authority victoria – will enable industry to continue to produce clean, affordable, nutritious and sustainable food ... “by working together with government, industry will be better placed to reduce water use, improve energy efficiency and reduce food waste,” carnell said ... “as the federal government investigates reducing water allocations in the food bowl, industry must be committed to becoming more efficient – producing more with less ... the first project under the covenant is training afgc members in the new food processing sector supplement from the global reporting initiative (gri), the gold standard for sustainability reporting ... “we are looking forward to seeing the implementation of tangible behavioural change activities, which will increase resource efficiency and strengthen this important industry sector ... ” a range of projects are planned, including a feasibility study into food waste composting in regional areas like albury wodonga and ballarat

... australia’s food manufacturing sector and quick service restaurant (qsr) retailers have already made strong inroads in addressing obesity through making foods healthier, reducing advertising to children and front-of-pack labelling, according to the australian food and grocery council (afgc) ... nsw greens mp john kaye today accused the nsw coalition of “pandering to their friends in the [food] industry” for not supporting mandatory reductions in salt, fat and sugar in fast foods and point-of-sale labelling ... afgc chief executive kate carnell dismissed these claims, saying food and grocery manufacturers and qsr retailers had achieved positive results in providing healthier options and better educating consumers ... “qsr retailers mcdonald’s, kfc, hungry jack’s and red rooster have reduced sodium in foods and are not using trans-fats in cooking oil ... they are also offering healthier choices on menus and limiting advertising of high fat, sugar or salt (hfss) foods to children,” ms carnell said ... “the qsr sector has proactively reduced sugar and sodium in buns as well as committing to sodium reduction of products over the next five years ... ” industry’s new qsr forum - launched yesterday - will also allow industry to work with government to address important health, nutrition and chronic disease issues in australia ... ms carnell said under the food and health dialogue, australia’s food industry has agreed to salt reduction targets for breads and cereals ... industry has also achieved success in front-of-pack food labelling under the daily intake guide (dig) scheme which gives people the information needed to formulate a daily eating plan according to their individual needs and activity levels

... australia’s largest manufacturing sector - food and grocery - has forged a landmark new alliance with the quick service restaurant (qsr) industry to work together to address important health, nutrition and chronic disease issues in australia ... officially announced during the nsw food forum in sydney today, the formal partnership between the australian food and grocery council (afgc) and the qsr industry involves the establishment of a qsr forum of afgc ... one of the main aims of the forum is for industry to work collaboratively with governments to deliver appropriate and transparent information to consumers so they can make informed purchasing decisions ... afgc chief executive kate carnell said the new qsr forum will enable manufacturers and quick service retailers to work together on effective ways of tackling population health and chronic disease issues ... “people buy food from supermarkets as well as away-from-home food service outlets, so it’s only logical that our industries need to develop better ways of working together,” ms carnell said ... “industry takes the growing levels of obesity and chronic disease seriously and recognises the need to work with stakeholders to reduce salt and saturated fats and improve consumer information ... “this new and holistic approach provides the first joint forum for the qsr industry to come together as an industry body and work alongside leading food and grocery manufacturers with a focus on being part of the solution for a healthier australia ... ” the qsr forum will include four foundation members, including: * mcdonald’s australia * hungry jack’s * yum! restaurants international representing kfc and pizza hut brands * qsr holdings who represent red rooster, chicken treat and oporto restaurants

... the australian food and grocery council (afgc) has become australia’s first industry association to gain membership to the roundtable on sustainable palm oil (rspo), the world’s leading not-for-profit organisation supporting sustainable use and production of palm oil ... the rspo was established by the world wildlife fund (wwf), industry stakeholders and ngos in 2004 ... the industry-led association - with more than 400 members worldwide - has established a rigorous set of principles and requirements for palm oil producers to produce sustainable palm oil ... afgc chief executive kate carnell said many australian food and grocery manufacturers have already made a commitment to sourcing and using sustainable, certified palm oil and afgc’s rspo membership consolidates this move ... “industry strongly supports the need to produce and source palm oil in a more sustainable way, minimising environmental impact of growing this important product,” ms carnell said ... “australia’s food and grocery manufacturers are moving towards using rspo palm oil as it becomes more widely available - this allows the economic development benefits of palm oil production to local communities to continue and allows them time to comply with the rigorous requirements of rspo ... ” palm oil is an important ingredient for the food and grocery manufacturing industry in australia ... it’s widely used in about 80 per cent of products in some categories including baked goods, confectionery, shampoos and crèmes ... palm oil also has certain qualities and characteristics that make it more attractive than many other oils and fats including being a semi-solid at room temperature ... “replacing palm oil in products is not a simple process and afgc will continue to work hard to ensure that all parties - consumers, producing countries and food and grocery manufacturers - are part of the palm oil solution,” ms carnell said ... in a recent senate submission to oppose the truth in labelling - palm oil bill 2009, afgc highlighted that labels should only be used on food products to highlight critical information relating to health, nutrition and safety

... “food labels should not be used as a battleground for issues as diverse as deforestation, animal welfare and human rights,” said australian food and grocery council’s (afgc) chief executive kate carnell ... afgc highlights that palm oil is, in fact, a vegetable oil just like soya bean, corn rapeseed oils which are widely used in manufactured food products ... ms carnell said food labels need to be easy to comprehend and should only contain important product information relating to health, nutrition and safety ... nestle this week made a global pledge to stop buying palm oil from companies owning or managing plantations or farms linked to rainforest destruction highlighted that food and grocery manufacturers are acting responsibly and voluntarily ... “it’s encouraging that more and more food manufacturers are moving towards using sustainable palm oil as it become more widely available,” ms carnell said ... “currently, demand for sustainable palm oil is outstripping supply from certified plantations in indonesia and malaysia,” afgc strongly supports the need to produce and source palm oil in a more traceable and sustainable way, minimising environmental impact and protecting local smallholders, which is advocated by the roundtable on sustainable palm oil (rspo) ... ms carnell said senator xenophon needed to understand that australia’s palm oil use was “a drop in the ocean” compared with other developed nations including india and china ... under the rspo - designed to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil through cooperation within the supply chain and stakeholders - companies can purchase certified sustainable palm oil (cspo), which has been approved as sustainable, and is grown on certified plantations in indonesia and malaysia