Favco Queensland Pty Ltd (an Australian Family owned Fruit and Vegetable Farming & Marketing company) has today welcomed the announcement of a $30 million research grant from the Australian Federal Government towards the creation of a new Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) on Food Waste that will develop further real world solutions, improve competitiveness, productivity and sustainability of the Australian Horticulture industry.

Favco is a large contributor to the Australian Federal Government “Fight Food Waste” CRC.

We have a Food Waste problem on Australian farms. On a Global level, the Australian Government has made UN commitments to half food waste by 2030.

The Fight Food Waste CRC will support industry-led collaborations between researchers, industry and the community to address the issue of food waste.

Using a whole of supply chain model including stakeholders such as Favco, Swisse Wellness, Bowen Gumlu Grower association and the Queensland State Government, we intend to create regional jobs, maximise profits for farmers and build new 21st century businesses focussed on exports using globally available 21st century technologies extracting antioxidants from waste and unprofitable Fruit and Vegetable crops.

We want to reverse the socio economic decline in the regional Australian farming communities, and deliver significant economic, social and environmental benefits to Australia.

The Inaugural Chair of the new CRC is Mr John Webster, previously General Manager of Meat & Livestock Australia, Managing Director of Horticulture Australia Ltd and CEO of Foodbank Australia. Interim CEO is Dr Steven Lapidge, Director of Food Safety & Innovation at the South Australian Research & Development Institute, PIRSA.

The bid was led by a committee of industry participants (Chris Deveney of Favco was a member of the bid avisory committee) with coordination by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA).

Why is this needed?

       •    Over a third of the food produced in the world is wasted.

       •    No food waste transformation tertiary manufacturing exists in the southern hemisphere.

       •    Loss estimates are 30% for cereals, 40%-50% for root crops, fruit and vegetables and 20% for oilseeds, meat, dairy and 35% for seafood.

       •    Opportunity to capture lost production, increase profitability and sustainability.

       •    Helps meet Australia’s global commitment to reduce waste.

       •    Farmers need an alternative pathway to sell usable produce that do not meet retail or export specifications and/or a sales channel that can ensure that their costs are recovered.

      •    Development of a new industry in Australia, unique in the Southern Hemisphere, that can leverage our provenance and supply key products that have excess demand across the

             world.

Bio Actives Australia – Economic Impact

The economic impact of building Bio extraction factories in regional Australia will be measurable:

      •    Productive, Innovative regions built on advanced agribusiness.

      •    New factories – 1st one to be in Stanthorpe, Queensland to get the model right, and then more strategically placed factories in or near major growing centres.

      •    New jobs for regional towns.

      •    Renewed confidence in the Horticultural industry = reinvestment in the regional towns.

      •    Global exports.

      •    Australia can become a world leader in Bio Extractions.

      •    Regional GDP improvement in regional towns upwards of $1.8 Billion – QUT

For further media information please contact:

             Chris Deveney – Director

             Favco Queensland Pty Ltd

             Email chrisd@favcoqld.com.au