Federal Labor has promised to fund one-third of WSU’s $50m Agri Tech Hub, which is set to become the nation’s first high-tech commercial, teaching and research greenhouse complex.

On 4 May, CRC stakeholders met at the soon-to-be-completed Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia (the Precinct) in the Shire of Murray to sign lease agreements for core facilities within the precinct.

The National Protected Cropping map is expanding, with draft mapping of PC facilities for the Adelaide and Tasmanian growing regions now completed and published online, ready for peer review. 

David Eyre, founding CEO of the Future Food Systems CRC, is stepping down from the role.

A new CRC project pairs UNSW mapping expert Dr Hoon Han with Namoi Unlimited, a group of five Northern Rivers-area councils keen to boost agribusiness development in this rich agricultural region.

Western Sydney University’s Prof. Zhonghua Chen is an expert in plant physiology, plant breeding, biophysics and agronomy – and an academic mentor to Australia’s next generation of crop scientists. 

Project lead Ozgur Dedehayir’s presentation at the 2021 CRC Showcase outlined the key findings of the ‘Coffs Harbour food ecosystem’ project, which lays the foundation for development of a future food cluster in Coffs.

AARSC senior researcher Craig Shephard leads the National PC mapping project, an initiative of Protected Cropping Australia supported by Hort Innovation, UNE, LLSNSW and the CRC. He’s also a keen mountain-biker.

Terrific results from the UNSW project team regarding new processing protocols for high-grade Mg organics are enabling EcoMag to scale up rapidly to meet initial orders from major US clients including Walmart and CVS.

Relentless rain did little to dampen the spirits of the estimated 450 delegates, 40 virtual attendees, 60 exhibitors and large CRC-cohort contingent at this year’s PCA conference in Coffs Harbour.

The governments of Australia’s eastern-seaboard states have co-signed an MoU to develop hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for heavy trucking on major highways linking Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

FIAL’s revamped Australian Food and Beverage Catalogue acts as a digital conduit between export-ready local F&B suppliers and qualified buyers worldwide, helping to grow the share of Australian food in the global marketplace.

A nine-year strategy for those growing crops undercover developed by QDAF with input from key stakeholders including FIAL and the CRC is set to be implemented by Protected Cropping Australia and Hort Innovation.

Murdoch University has announced the appointment of Professor Rajeev K Varshney, agricultural scientist and tropical crop-breeding expert, to its acclaimed Food Futures Institute.

CSIRO’s new National Protein Roadmap shows how Australia can capture a $13 billion opportunity to deliver quality proteins of all types – animal, plant and cell-cultured – to meet growing demand globally. 

A UNSW PhD supervised by the CRC’s Prof Cordelia Selomulya has won the highly competitive RedShiftBio StructIR Lab Grant. She’ll use it to further her research into plant-protein functionalities.

Traceability Learning Journeys, a GS1 report commissioned by CRC partner WA DPIRD, is based on conversations with 20+ WA food and beverage firms about the benefits accrued and lessons learned from improving their traceability systems.

The WA Food Innovation Precinct’s key strategic partner is market-testing local gourmet produce including black barley, honey and oat milk in potential export markets, helping local SMEs showcase their products, initially to Singaporean buyers.

UNE’s Remote Sensing Centre is going offshore with its world-first tree crop mapping capability. The same capability is being deployed in a Hort Innovation-UNE project to map Australia’s protected cropping facilites supported by PCA and the CRC.

Three new doctoral candidates will contribute valuable research to CRC projects, investigating cooling strategies for protected cropping, analysing herbal weight loss supplements and creating detailed molecular profiles of WA foods to form the foundation of strategies around precision nutrition.

Hear BeefLedger Chair Warwick Powell discuss the ‘Smart trade’ team’s blockchain-backed digital platform and its potential to streamline cross-border trade.

Food Innovation Australia Limited’s recently released Australian Food & Beverage Catalogue showcases export-ready food and beverage suppliers from across Australia to qualified buyers domestically and abroad.

This producer-focused network’s new, free-to-join web portal helps Western Australian food producers keen to value-add connect with providers right along the F&B supply chain.

Research leads, PhDs and project collaborators from government and industry are among the CRC-affiliated presenters at this year’s PCA Conference.

ICYMI, UNSW’s new, state-government-backed Health Translation Hub, will house 15 storeys of health education and research facilities, linking students and experts with the Randwick hospitals cluster. The hub is expected to benefit patients, carers and the broader NSW community.

Western Sydney University researchers are leading an expert team that will transform Bicentennial Park at Sydney Olympic Park into the coolest public park in the state.

The CRC’s ‘Smart trade hubs’ collaboration, involving QUT and SME BeefLedger, was one of just two finalists for ICT Research Project of the Year in the ACS’s 2022 Digital Disruptor Awards’.

QUT researchers are using advanced gene-editing techniques to develop new Cavendish and Goldfinger banana varieties resistant to Panama Tropical Race 4, a deadly disease threatening global production.

Australian food and beverage manufacturers: apply by 18 February 2022 for grants of up to $25,000 to boost energy-efficiency and adopt new energy technologies under the latest round of the federal government’s Energy Efficient Communities program.

A strategy to provide direction and support for crops grown under shelter in Australia has been launched. Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud said the Australian Protected Cropping Strategy 2021-2030 was a pathway for the industry to develop. […]

Murdoch University scientists are using cutting-edge methods and equipment to profile the nutritional makeup of high-value produce from across Western Australia, including truffles, artichokes and olive oil.

Grants of up to $25,000 are available to assist food and beverage manufacturing SMEs in improving their energy-efficiency under the latest round of the Australian Government’s Energy Efficient Communities program.

The expansion of Costa’s Tomato Exchange glasshouse facility near Guyra, NSW, brings its total footprint to 40+ hectares, making it the largest such complex in the Southern Hemisphere.

Murdoch University research helped transform the Australian livestock industry through the development of a grading system for meat quality. Now, a new research project is setting the fast-growing global aquaculture industry in its sights. 

Woolworths Group has begun constructing its first-ever automated ‘customer fulfilment centre’ in Auburn, Western Sydney.

In this half-hour podcast, UNSW Professor and the CRC’s Research & Commercialisation Director Cordelia Selomulya talks about sustainable, STEM-enabled food systems and the role research-industry collaboration can play in realising these.

A new report from CSIRO and the Business Council of Australia aims to arm business leaders with strategies for translating research outcomes into scaleable commercial innovations.

The CRC for Developing Northern Australia has teamed with Mackay-based Townsend Industries in a pilot facility to test a new sugarcane processing system capable of delivering an array of high-value products.

Queensland University of Technology’s Dr Ozgur Dedehayir researches the strategic implications of technological evolution, disruptive innovations and their impacts on society. Most recently, he’s been focused on food innovation ecosystems – a topic that resonates with this keen home chef.

Among the food and beverage firms sharing $33+m under the federal government’s MMI’S Translation and Integration streams is FAN food-cluster member Turbine Sunshine Coast, which will use its $8.7m grant to establish a large-scale contract manufacturing and R&D precinct at Sunshine Coast Airport.

The Horticulture Innovation Australia-backed University of Tasmania course is now in its fifth year. Apply now to join the 2022 cohort.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand and The George Institute, known for its diet-friendly FoodSwitch app, have joined forces to develop a database that helps consumers understand the nutritional value of packaged foods in the region.

Peel Development Commission has launched a roadmap to help the region’s food and beverage producers capitalise on market opportunities domestically and overseas.

Western Australia’s new agrifood network aims to ‘connect, inspire and educate’ local food producers and manufacturers to drive the development of a progressive, sustainable agrifood sector for the state.

WA DPIRD has announced new food-labelling requirements and a new registration process for food processing and storage facilities handling product for export to China. 

New PVCR, Scientia Professor Sven Rogge brings a wealth of experience to furthering the strategic priorities and objectives of research at UNSW Sydney.

The Future Food Systems CRC 2020/2021 Annual Report provides an overview of project achievements, financials, CRC case studies and highlights of the second year of operation.

Recent ABS stats show that Australian industry’s R&D spend as a proportion of GDP is half the OECD average and the lowest it’s been since 2003, but CSIRO analyses reveal that investing in innovation pays off, and is crucial for the nation’s future resilience and prosperity.

The $47.5m Lang Walker AO Medical Research facility, due to open in 2023, will enable local researchers to address the region’s unique health challenges. WSU and UNSW are participants.

Western Parkland City Authority has released its concept for a 24-hour, state-of-the-art Airfreight Interface at Western Sydney International Airport. Now it’s seeking stakeholder comment via an online survey open until 8 December.

The final report of the ‘Coffs food innovation ecosystem’ project proposes four pathways to help the region’s agrifood firms transition to a new state of production marked by greater output and higher-value products.

The 2022 Times Higher Education rankings showcase UNSW’s strength across a broad range of disciplines, notably STEM subjects.

Western Sydney University has launched its vision for an Agri-Tech Hub: a six-hectare, high-tech greenhouse complex for commercial, teaching and research work that will help create new jobs and opportunities for high-tech horticulture in the region.

Protected cropping experts at Western Sydney University are embarking on a CRC project with new partner Qatar University to deliver novel fertigation solutions that optimise indoor crops.

From October 2021, Sanitarium Health Food Company will include the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) on its Weet-Bix boxes, letting customers know the packaging is now fully recyclable – with the packaging of other Sanitarium products soon to be 100% recyclable, too.

World-leading technology has landed in Mackay, bringing Queensland one step closer to a $1 billion sustainable, export-oriented industrial biotechnology and bioproducts sector.

CRC Board member Peter Schutz OAM has netted the 2021 Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology President’s Award for his outstanding contribution to the Australian food industry. 

In a project starting mid-February 2022, UNSW scientists will work with Sanitarium to develop protocols for optimising the firm’s Weet-Bix grain-drying process.

Charles Darwin University’s Dr Sean Bellairs is a specialist in site revegetation and in breeding and establishing plants indigenous to Australia’s north. He’s also the research lead on the CRC’s four-year, multi-partner ‘Native rice commercialisation’ project.

As CRC Industry PhD student attached to the ‘Blueberry nutritional optimisation’ project, Gareema Pandey is working with crop scientists and sustainability experts at Western Sydney University and NSW Department of Primary Industries to improve the nutritional profile of blueberries grown undercover.

Gippsland-based Federation University has launched a three-year Bachelor of Sustainable Food Systems course that gives participants the practical and theoretical skills they’ll need to deliver safe, nutritious and sustainable food into local and global markets.

Training modules have been developed to support staff at the University of New South Wales in working with a more sustainable mindset.

Costa’s joint venture with Driscoll’s vertically integrated blueberry operation in the Yunnan Province of China has netted a 2021 Asia Fruit Award for Impact.

Charles Darwin University has been awarded more than $2 million in federal funds to establish a Renewable Energy Microgrid Hub, which will lead research to develop reliable, cost-effective, eco-friendly power systems.

The federal-government-backed $4m Research Institute for Northern Agriculture and Drought Resilience will boost CDU’s research capability in aquaculture, livestock, pastoral production. and cropping and horticulture systems.

RAMPP is a six-year, $50 million federal government program aimed at increasing the resilience and reliability of power supply for regional and remote communities.

New controlled-atmosphere tech shown to double the shelf life of sea-freighted fresh veg could give Australia’s horticulture exporters an edge amid pandemic-fuelled air-freight price hikes.

New South Wales’ peak agricultural association encourages members and non-members to contribute their views to a CRC project that aims to boost farmers’ contributions to state coffers – and their own hip pockets.

UNSW renewables experts Alistair Sproul and Renate Egan weigh in on the future of energy generation, from solar voltaics to wind farms to battery storage.

A just-commenced CRC project involving Murdoch University’s ANPC, WA DPIRD, global scientific equipment firm Bruker and SMEs across WA will develop unique chemical fingerprints to validate health claims, expanding markets for premium WA products.

Involving SME grower P’Petual and QUT robotics experts, this CRC project aims to automate not just pollination, but all sorts of indoor-grown crop-tending tasks. 

New CRC participant Qatar University, based in Doha, is the country’s leading tertiary education and research institution, ranked second of all the Arab universities in the inaugural Times Higher Education (THE) Arab University Rankings.

For University of New England’s Professor Derek Baker, better agribusiness means everything from improving regional infrastructure to reducing waste and finding more resilient, responsive paths to market.

Costa Group has pledged its support for the TCFD, joining more than 1,500 organisations committed to building a more resilient financial system to safeguard against climate risk.

As another bumper season begins Down Under, Perfection Fresh CEO Michael Simonetta talks with Fresh Plaza about the company’s plans for a mango-led global expansion.

UNE has teamed with Tamworth Regional Council and local businesses in a program to get UNE Innovation PhDs working on real-world innovations that capitalise on the region’s food, agribusiness and ag-tech strengths.

Charles Darwin University has received $735,000 in funding from the Australian Government to develop the local industry’s food manufacturing capabilities.

The Victorian Government has pledged $8.4 million to help the state’s agricultural producers manage and minimise supply-chain risks; build capability in domestic markets; and expand their export reach.

A committee led by WSU Vice-Chancellor Barney Glover has helped get NSW Government support for a pilot program that will bring 500 international students to the state’s universities by early December.

Western Sydney University’s new Sustainability and Resilience 2030 strategy builds on the university’s current eco-credibility with commitments to using 100% renewable energy by 2026 and to carbon-neutrality by decade’s end.

Western Sydney University’s new Tech Jobs Accelerator builds on the success of the university’s Launch Pad incubator, ensuring locals benefit from the opportunities that will accompany the soon-to-be-built Aerotropolis and related infrastructure investments.

Creating low-cost sensor labels to record food freshness, finding new ‘circular’ solutions via micro-recycling, and extending the lifespan of next-gen solar cell materials are among 10 UNSW projects nominated for the 2021 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.

Both Coles and Woolworths have raced to implement new technology and change labour arrangements to keep pace with a boom in e-commerce, investing in ‘smart’ warehousing and distribution systems and using app-driven gig workers for grocery picking and delivery.

With veganism a growing trend, researchers are documenting its positive impacts. Notably, finds Cambridge research associate Catherine Oliver, veganism allows people to feel good – not just in their health, but in having made planet-friendly choices aligned with their ethics.

Australians waste 7.6 million tonnes of food annually, with 49 per cent of this occurring between farm and retailers’ shelves, and 51 per cent at the consumer end of the supply chain. Right now, Australian households are throwing away between […]

Horticulture Innovation Australia, University of New England’s AARSC, Protected Cropping Australia, NSW LLS and Future Food Systems CRC have teamed up to develop a high-tech tool to map Australia’s protected cropping facilities, thereby aiding biosecurity preparedness and natural disaster response efforts.

NSW Circular is offering up to $600k to support circular-economy scale-up projects in critical arenas, including solar PV and organic waste. Applications are open until 5pm AEST on Friday 26 November 2021.

CRC food cluster participant Food & Fibre Gippsland has applied the European Union model of Smart Specialisation to undertake feasibility and technical studies for a recycling facility to valorise waste streams from the $7 billion Gippsland sector.

The first sensory evaluation and fingerprinting work is underway in the CRC’s ‘Bioactive components for value-add to Australian artichokes’ project following the winter-spring harvest of Mt Lindesay’s organic globe artichoke varieties.

In the lead-up to the UN’s inaugural Food Systems Summit this month, UN member countries including Australia hosted National Dialogues with stakeholders across the agrifood and sustainability sectors to establish priorities and issues for further discussion. View them here.

Dr Ruey-Leng Loo is a clinical pharmacist who is focusing her clinical expertise on the application of metabolic phenotyping in epidemiological and nutritional studies.

Waste giant SUEZ Australia New Zealand has acquired a 20 per cent stake in award-winning Australian food redistribution company Yume Food.

Nominations for Protected Cropping Australia’s biennial Industry Awards, recognising the contributions of ‘inspiring individuals’ to the protected cropping sector, are open.

The six pioneering companies selected as the WA Food Innovation Precinct’s first X-Protein Lab cohort will work with WA and Singapore-based mentors to help expand the state’s capacity to supply sustainable healthy proteins to local, national and ASEAN markets.

Dist. Prof. David Tissue, CRC Program 2 Lead has been appointed to the role of Research Grant Stream Lead within the new James Martin Institute for Public Policy, which brings policymakers and interdisciplinary academic teams together to address complex societal issues.

Queensland-based Fable Food Co, a CRC participant, has raised $6.5m in seed funding to ramp up R&D and production of its fungi-based meat-substitute products.

The CRC has registered an expression of interest in supporting the new NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub and its networks. The decision to establish the Hub followed the findings of an extensive Decarbonisation Innovation Study initiated in 2019.

Indigenous communities now have a tool enabling them to assess the quality and sweetness of their wild-harvested native bush fruits in the field, rather than sending samples off to food science laboratories.

The winners of Food & Fibre Gippsland’s ‘What’s Your Food or Fibre Challenge, Gippsland?’ have been announced. The successful  businesses will use the funding and support to help them surmount obstacles to sustainable growth.

Boosting water and energy efficiency and cutting waste are just some of the opportunities identified in HIA’s new Horticulture Sustainability Framework, developed with extensive input from sector stakeholders.

The CRC has joined the Oceania Chapter of The Competitive Institute (TCI) Network, an international organisation connecting and supporting specialised industry clusters around the world.

Regional Development Australia ACT calls it ‘a complete re-conception of a City-Region Food System’. The primary objective of the just-launched Canberra Region Food Collaborative is to source more food locally and sustainably.

National fruit and veg wholesaler Perfection Fresh has acquired a major table grapes operation as part of an ongoing push to diversify.

QUT and Smart Trade Networks have just launched the world’s first fully blockchain-enabled credentialled marketplace. In their next ‘Smart trade hubs’ project, just commenced under the CRC, they plan to extend it to other commodities and markets.

When you buy organic food, you don’t always get food free from pesticides, says UNSW expert Associate Professor Jayashree Arcot.

More than $9 million in ARC grants have been awarded to two UNSW Sydney projects providing research into sensors for the health sector and new technologies for Australia’s infrastructure needs.

Mark Cardamis has graduated from making mini greenhouse prototypes to joining a collaborative university-industry project team as a CRC Industry PhD, exploring mobile sensing systems for remote monitoring of crops in advanced indoor greenhouse systems.

To attain its 30×30 goal, NSW Farmers needs the state’s primary producers to expand their contribution to the state’s coffers. So it’s teamed up with UNE researchers in a farmer-focused project that aims to identify obstacles to growth and find ways to overcome them.

In stage 2 of the Smart Trade Hubs program, QUT and SCP Capital will extend their blockchain-backed digital trading platform, developed for premium beef exports to China, to high-value fruits, wines and artisan liquor destined for markets across Asia.

iMOVE CRC research into Australia’s freight transport routes and distribution hubs is the basis for the a new national repository of freight information, which will become progressively more comprehensive as sector users enter more data.

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has teamed with global standards group GS1 Australia to help Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing industry implement improved supply-chain standards and technology.

NSW DPI Agriculture has appointed the head of its Northern Horticulture division, Matt Adkins, as its new Leader for Industry Adoption in a bid to boost farmer uptake of its scientifically based business solutions.

QUT Design Lab head and Professor of Urban Informatics Marcus Foth undertakes cutting-edge transdisciplinary work that “brings together people, place and technology”. He’s also leading the CRC’s Smart Trade Hubs project, and using his expertise to help save wombats and bees.

Innovative Queensland developer HydroREC, a spinoff from CRC industry participant Smart Trade Networks, has become a Founding Partner in the Smart Energy Council and Hydrogen Australia’s Zero Carbon Certification Scheme.

CRC industry partner Costa Group has diversified its business further by acquiring Queensland citrus-growing company 2PH Farms.

New research confirms Australia’s offshore wind resources offer vast potential both for electricity generation and new jobs.

If we’re to reduce net carbon emissions to zero by 2050, governments, industry and individuals need to do much more, suggest research findings from a multinational team that included UNSW Sydney Professor Tommy Wiedmann.

QUT researchers will lead the $6.5 million ARC Training Centre for Behavioural Insights for Technology Adoption (BITA) that aims to accelerate Australians’ adoption of innovation technologies in health, agriculture and cybersecurity.

Concerned about food production’s planetary impact? Developing food systems that are healthier for people and the planet can be profitable, too, contend the guests of this thought-provoking 45-minute UN-backed podcast.

In this thought-provoking paper, Sydney academic and urban planner Steven Liaros contends that ‘the transition to a fully circular economy will require a paradigm shift … away from large-scale industrial agriculture to a decentralised network of circular food systems’.

MMI Round 2 grant recipients in the food and beverage manufacturing sector include a pie-bakery keen to expand production, a recycled-packaging manufacturer, a soon-to-be-greener brewery, a supplier of beekeeping systems, and a business looking to install new freeze-drying and processing equipment and technology.

$50m in grant funding is on offer to help build supply-chain capabilities in two critical areas: biopharmaceuticals and agricultural production chemicals. Apply by COB 12 August.

Charles Darwin University chemists have developed a scent profile and artificial scent lures designed to help sniffer dogs detect citrus canker disease in Northern Territory citrus orchards.

Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) at Charles Darwin University will be part of a National Network for First Nations Researchers, being established to help grow the next generation of research leaders.

Jim Fuller – chemical engineer, fine-dining chef, mycologist and now Chief Scientific Officer with Fable Food Co – was a recent guest on celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal’s podcast Heston’s Journey to the Centre of Food.

Under its Modern Manufacturing Initiative, the Australian Government is offering $800m in grant funding for large-scale collaborative projects in priority manufacturing areas, including food and beverages.

In June 2021, the CRC farewelled outgoing Board member Valerie Linton and welcomed two new Members to its Board: Mark Prendergast and Tony Cull.

UK-trained QUT biochemist Robert Speight is leading a new CRC project with Sanitarium Health Food Company exploring healthy proteins for plant-based products.

Murdoch University Associate Professor Vicky Solah brings 36 years of expertise in food science and human nutrition to the CRC. Right now she’s profiling artichokes for CRC partner Mt Lindesay. Next, she’ll begin upcycled fruit-and-veg product trials at the new WA Food Innovation Precinct.

This CRC report canvasses the latest developments in phenotyping for advanced protected cropping facilities. It assesses tools and tech used by commercial growers to monitor and manage crop inputs impacting attributes including growth, health and yield.

In the lead-up to its annual conference, 18-20 October, the CRC Association is calling for video submissions from early-career researchers. Three winners each get a free trip to Canberra, full registration and the chance to showcase their research and win $5,000. Apply by COB 31 August.

In stage 1 of this multi-year collaboration, two CRC partner universities, NT Government and three First Nations enterprises have joined forces to collect, analyse and develop protocols for the world’s first broadacre plantings of native wild rice in Northern Australia.

iMOVE CRC’s FAST project will explore transport patterns and suggest solutions to reduce congestion and streamline traffic flows in Liverpool LGA, especially between Liverpool CBD and the plannned Western Sydney International Airport.

The federal government’s export support grants have been revamped, with new rules from 1 July. Check out the new application guidelines and your eligibility. 

University of New England researchers are working with Hort Innovation, NSW DPI and the Australian Olive Association to develop tools that improve yield forecasts, reduce water use and aid disease control and risk management.

It’s clean, green, and nutritionally potent. Murdoch University researchers have found a number of uses for microalgae, from animal feed to beta-carotene supplements.

UNSW Engineering Professor Thorsten Trupke has won the internationally coveted IEEE William Cherry Award for outstanding contributions to photovoltaic science and technology. 

Extending ‘use by’ dates, banning supermarkets from ditching edible food and developing re-usable meal kit packaging are among the ideas being explored by researchers at QUT’s Centre for a Waste-Free World, launched last year to develop ‘circular economy’ ideas and technologies.

The HIA-sponsored exporter award at Hort Connections’ 2021 went to Queensland vegie grower Steven Moffat, who’s been direct-selling Moffat products into overseas markets since 2015.

Hort Innovation, NSW DPI, WA DPIRD and SARDI, have teamed up in a five-year, $28m program to boost quantity and quality in five of Australia’s key fruit and nut crops – starting with citrus.

Applications by 6 August for next year’s Nuffield Scholarship, which helps recipients broaden their horizons with regard to on agrifood-related topics, then translate those learnings into action ‘back home’.

The AFGC has teamed with GS1 Australia to improve supply-chain data across Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing industry.

Ten UNSW academics, PhD candidates and alumni will travel to esteemed US research institutions and organisations under the flagship foreign exchange program.

The federal government has pledged $5.2m to upgrade the capability of QUT Mackay’s biomanufacturing scale-up facility, used to demonstrate the viability of new technologies and produce products in sizeable quantities.

Escavox co-founder and CEO Luke Wood talks with AgFutures about the company’s Blue Box, a smart supply-chain tracking device dubbed ‘CCTV for food’.

The federal government has appointed an expert working group to develop a roadmap setting out Australia’s research infrastructure needs and priorities for the coming five to 10 years.

Discussion at RDA’s Food in the Capital event centred on what’s needed to reposition Canberra and the surrounding region as a sustainable, economically viable agrifood hub.

The ‘Tomato rhizobiome project’, designed to find ways to foster robust microbial colonies in the root zones of hydroponic greenhouse tomato plants, is proceeding well, with initial findings ‘very promising’, says industry partner Costa Group.

In a career spanning decades, continents and planets, Distinguished Professor David Tissue has maintained a thirst for exploration and a desire to help crops thrive, even in the most hostile environments.

Further diversifying its offerings, Australia’s leading horticultural producer-distributor has acquired banana business Pacific Coast Produce Marketing, enabling it to license the environmentally friendly Red Tip™ Ecoganic™ banana.

The first in a series of CRC-commissioned reports on this fast-growing horticultural sector investigates target crops and technologies for commercial protected cropping in Australian conditions.

WA’s Peel Business Park, site of the soon-to-be-built WA Food Innovation Precinct, is seeking expressions of interest from agrifood and ancillary businesses keen to carve their own footprints in the precinct.

Proud North Queenslander Anne Stünzner, fresh from advocacy and economic advisor roles in local government and regional economic development, is looking forward to her new role leading the CRC for Northern Australia.

Michael Fox, co-founder and CEO of thriving alt-meat SME Fable Food Co, has been busy running the company – and guesting on podcasts Curveball and The Mentor, where he discussed sustainable food production, pandemic pivoting and how he secured investor backing for Fable.

Eligible agrifood SMEs can apply for dollar-matched funding of up to $200K to scale up, commercialise and develop new food products within the new WA Food Innovation Precinct via the just-launched Enterprise Support Program.

Construction has begun on WAFIP, which will include an advanced food-manufacturing facility and food science, processing and educational facilities. The CRC will work with its WA partners to deliver R&D services within the precinct.

The focus of the Food in the Capital conference, held over two days in October 2020 and May 2021, was on the critical role food production, consumption and new technology will play in helping Canberra to become a fully sustainable city.

NSW Farmers is joining forces with primary producers statewide to offer farm-based experiences to primary-school students participating in the federally funded Kids to Farms program.

Big data pioneer and licence-holder of the world’s most widely used livestock performance analysis software, BREEDPLAN, the University of New England’s Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI) celebrates a half-century of operation this year.

The world’s first clear solar glass greenhouse is up and running at Murdoch University’s grains research precinct. Renowned geneticist Professor Chengdao Li and his team will use the facility to develop new breeding technologies for use in commercial cropping.

Austrade’s latest export market updates indicate significant potential for Australian food and ag-tech exports across the ASEAN region – and even some bright spots in China.

The Territory Labor Government will invest $8.5m over five years with the federally-funded Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre to fast-track manufacturing innovation projects – including agribusiness-related projects – across Australia’s Top End

In an initial trial in the UNSW-EcoMag project, chemical engineers at UNSW were able to produce very high-purity Mg citrate using their state-of-the-art spray dryer. It’s a first, successful step towards EcoMag’s goal of scaling up to commercial production using the new process.

A new CRC project is comparing two novel light-spectra-shifting films on energy-efficiency and crop productivity in greenhouse-grown lettuce.

Australia has the potential to become a major player in the billion-dollar global edible insect industry, producing nutritious, sustainable, ethical protein products to bolster global food security, contends a new roadmap by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.

WSU has cemented its position in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings as one of the world’s top-ranking tertiary institution with regard to social, environmental and economic impacts.

A new report pinpoints five ‘future forces’ likely to impact Australia’s agriculture sector and agrifood supply chains over the next 10 years, extrapolating seven plausible 2031 scenarios as food for thought and for constructive, change-oriented conversations.

If Canberra and the ACT backed the development of sustainable local food production and urban farming systems, the region could become a leader in urban agriculture and in meeting our emissions targets, contends Regional Development Australia ACT CEO Michael Claessens.

The idea of ordering slaughter-free authentic meat is becoming a reality, says Professor Johannes le Coutre, a food scientist from UNSW Sydney’s School of Chemical Engineering.

FIAL invites eligible SMEs or micro-businesses with products or services related to food and beverage supply-chain integrity to submit EOIs with a view to participating in the Traceability and Provenance Zone at foodpro 2021, in Sydney in late July.

Iconic Australian health food brand Sanitarium has developed a new breakfast cereal designed specifically for toddlers and preschoolers: Weet-Bix Little Kids Essentials is high in fibre and essential micronutrients, low in sugar and has no artificial flavours, colours, preservatives or added salt.

In this useful report, QUT’s Randall McHugh explores the pros and cons of specialist industry clusters, and examines the potential benefits to our agrifood sector of clustering in locations well suited to agrifood operations..

In a paper just published in Critical Reviews in Food Science, researchers from UNSW Sydney’s School of Chemical Engineering. review the literature on functional attributes of plant-derived proteins and explore how these might be improved by inducing a partial Maillard reaction and subsequent conjugation.

A new research and innovation hub, based at Charles Darwin University and with nodes in Katherine, Alice Springs, Broome and Perth, will help Northern Australia’s producers and communities prepare for and respond to drought.

A consultation paper on university research commercialisation is the latest effort by the federal government to increase the impact of Australia’s oft-groundbreaking research. This article from The Conversation looks at a recent study on industry-university collaboration.

Accenture’s Cohort ’21 initiative helps circular-economy innovators from across the globe – including several in the agrifood space – showcase and scale their ideas for upcycling waste. To contribute to the collective effort, join The Circular Accelerator’s Circular Community Action Group.

The federal government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative is offering dollar-matched funding to Australia-based manufacturers with suitable recycling and renewables projects, but act fast: you have until COB on Wednesday 5 May to get your application in.

It’s official: NSW Minister for Better Regulation and Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson has announced that the Namoi region will be the state’s fourth Regional Jobs Precinct. The CRC will work with the Namoi Joint Organisation, NSW Government, UNSW and UNE to help plan the new precinct.

Western Australian globe artichoke producer Mt Lindesay has teamed with researchers at Murdoch University in a project to validate key properties of their artichokes.

Commonwealth, State and Territory government funding is available to help Australia’s food, beverage, agricultural and ancilllary organisations, big and small, revive and thrive post-pandemic.

The federal government has opened grant applications to food and beverage manufacturers under its $1.3b Modern Manufacturing Initiative. But act fast: the application window closes at COB 27 April.

The New South Wales Government has committed $100m to help existing regional businesses grow, boost regional job numbers, and encourage interstate and overseas firms to invest in non-urban NSW.

A new report from ABARES details global megatrends set to shape the future of our nation’s agriculture sector – from data-driven disruption to dramatic climate change.

The federal government is consulting key stakeholders on current and emerging technologies in the health and agriculture sectors that could advance or undermine Australia’s national interests.

SME CRC industry participants may wish to apply for the Australian Manufacturing Growth Centre’s new Commercialisation Fund. It offers dollar-matched grants of between $100,000 and $1m to small-scale, collaborative manufacturing projects.

A recent World Economic Forum report contends cutting supply-chain emissions to near-net zero by 2050 is more readily achievable than you might think. And the food and ag sector could do the most to help.

Australian food and beverage manufacturing firms have just four weeks to apply for grants under Round 1 of the federal government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative to help them scale up, employ and export. So act fast!

The time is right for a coordinated effort to bolster resilience in our regions and invest in their strengths, contends the National Farmers’ Federation, which released its Regionalisation Agenda paper this week.

Scientists from Murdoch University and WA DPIRD have published an improved reference genome for narrow-leafed lupins, paving the way to new high-performance varieties of the protein-rich pulse legume.

UNSW scientists have been honoured for their world-changing discoveries, including revealing the physics of sea-level change, understanding heatwaves, and creating cheap flexible stable and non-toxic solar cells.

A shared vision for a carbon-neutral Armidale region will soon become reality, thanks to a new partnership between the University of New England, Armidale Regional Council, Business New England and an engaged local community.

Costa Group’s Lovacado-branded avocados now have QR codes embedded in their stickers, enabling the company – and consumers – to track each avo’s path from farm gate to packing shed to plate.

QUT has appointed Professor Kerrie Wilson as Pro Vice-Chancellor, Sustainability Strategy, to provide strategic leadership and advice on embedding sustainability into the university’s strategy, policy, research and education.

Food & Fibre Gippsland and Federation University have teamed up to help the region’s agribusinesses surmount obstacles to commercialisation and economic success. Enter the Challenge for a chance to win six months of mentorship, funding and R&D support.

For UNSW Associate Professor and networked embedded sensor expert Wen Hu, automated farms supplying ‘smart cities’ with premium fresh food are the way of the future. And IoT systems are paving the way to this new, networked reality.

A Queensland-Sri Lanka research team has developed a cheaper, faster, more accurate way to ascertain optimal drying times for various crops, using apples to trial the technology.

Appointed to the ‘Commercialising native rice project’ early in 2020, CRC PhD student and beneficial indigenous-species expert Gehan Abdelghany is working on the theoretical component of her doctorate from Egypt while she waits for travel bans to lift.

EcoMag Ltd, which turns Pilbara sea-salt waste streams into 99% pure magnesium compounds, is working with UNSW scientists to scale up production and, potentially, produce base ingredients for high-value foods, drugs and nutraceuticals.

Ensuring Asian-market access to Northern Australia’s premium perishable produce could be worth $5.6b p.a. in revenue to Queensland alone. So the CRC for Developing Northern Australia is keen to get it right.

Australia’s leading horticultural-industry body has launched an initiative to teach kids the connection between fresh, healthy foods and better moods.

Researchers at Murdoch University’s ANPC and Bruker have filed a patent on a fast new way to detect COVID-19 infection: testing for SARS-covid-2’s biological ‘fingerprint’.

Community collaboration on the proposed New England Science and Innovation Regional Hub has wrapped up with a ‘clear vision’ to seek funding to progress the hub in 2021.

UNSW Associate Professor Pat Spicer’s broad-ranging career spans industry, academia and two continents. The constants? Complex fluids and collaboration.

Researchers from the National Vegetable Protected Cropping Centre at Western Sydney University have netted an Award of Merit from the Australian Institute for Horticulture for donating their glasshouse-grown produce to those in need.

Australia’s iconic health-food brand is working with UNSW food-technology experts to optimise the formulations and protocols for its dairy- and additive-free Barista milks so that they’re creamier, foamier, silkier and ‘stretchier’.

NSW Department of Primary Industries, keen to bolster the position of agricultural producers in the state’s proposed new land-use strategy, urges all agribusiness stakeholders to contribute feedback to the Agriculture Commissioner’s land-use Options Paper by the end of February.

Australia’s peak industry body for fruit and vegetable growers has teamed with Sydney-based researchers and agricultural experts to explore the potential social, environmental and economic benefits of intensive indoor urban cropping systems.

Two UNSW academics are helping ensure that Indigenous peoples and communities reap the benefits of products developed from bush foods and traditional medicines.

Australia’s first solar-photovoltaic industrial microgrid is up and running at DevelopmentWA’s Peel Business Park in Nambeelup, Western Australia, with the innovative network now providing clean, green power to the site following the completion of Stage 1 works.

Canberra Region Food Collaborative and Regional Development Australia ACT are seeking input from local food-industry stakeholders to help structure sustainable, self-sufficient, supportive food systems for the nation’s capital.

Sanitarium Health Food Company, the name behind iconic Australian food products such as Weet-Bix, netted two major awards including the top gong at Woolworths’ Supplier of the Year 2020 awards in December.

On 2 December 2020, the CRC hosted its first online Research Showcase, highlighting projects approved, in progress and completed under our three Research Programs (RPs) over the CRC’s first full year of operation.

For Dr Gal Winter, lecturer and microbiologist at northern NSW’s University of New England, studying the ecology of microbe colonies – most recently, those surrounding tomato plant roots – has been a cross-continental endeavour.

The Future Food Systems CRC 2019/2020 Annual Report provides an overview of project achievements, financials, the CRC inception process and highlights of the first half year of operation.

QUT-based robotics engineer Dr Chris Lehnert specialises in solving commercial automation challenges, developing novel solutions for an array of real-world applications. Right now, he’s developing components for high-tech vertical farm modules in a CRC collaboration with Greenbio.

For Priti Krishna, Foundation Chair of Sustainable Agriculture at Western Sydney University and lead researcher on the CRC’s Blueberry nutritional optimisation project, it’s not just about growing better crops; it’s about growing crops better.

For this IT-pro-turned-UNE-microbiology post-grad, the chance to study the root microbiome of greenhouse-grown tomatoes with Costa Group under the CRC was one too good to refuse.

With support from Liverpool City Council, The George Institute for Global Health will extend its successful FoodSwitch platform to include food-service providers from the Liverpool area south-west of Sydney, helping event organisers make healthier food choices.

This brilliant scientist was the first in her family to attend university. But for Elaine Holmes, world-leading metabolic scientist, WA Premier’s Research Fellow and recent recipient of a prestigious Australian Laureate ARC Fellowship, academia proved a natural fit.

Hydroponic tomato grower Costa Group and scientists at UNE and WSU will explore microbial diversity in tomatoes’ root zones in a bid to find novel ways to combat disease in humid glasshouse environs.

Queensland University of Technology Professor Sagadevan Mundree is an expert in the fields of biochemistry and cell biology, agricultural and industrial biotechnology, and tropical crops – notably pulses. He also loves to hike.

The ‘IoT for indoor cropping’ project under the CRC’s Research Program 2 has commenced after a months-long delay due to COVID-19-related lab closures. Now, the first trials are underway at WSU’s newly opened experimental glasshouse facility, reports project lead and […]

For UNSW’s Professor Sami Kara, sustainable manufacturing is a key to future prosperity and a cleaner, greener planet. Scientica Education Fellow and Director of Vertically Integrated Projects in the University of New South Wales’ Faculty of Engineering, Sami isn’t one to silo […]

To gain the edge in global markets, Australia needs to produce blueberries with superior quality and health benefits. This project will ascertain the production conditions needed to maximise key ‘nutraceutical’ traits in polytunnel-grown berries.

A four-year, multi-disciplinary project under the CRC’s Research Program 1 will help ‘prepare the ground’ for commercialising Australian native rice, at same time creating new opportunities for indigenous enterprise.

The Western Sydney Agrifood Mapping and Analytics project will contribute to the evidence base for specialised food industry clusters in the region.

A new CRC project involving Coffs Harbour City Council and researchers at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will construct a detailed overview of food production in the Coffs region of NSW and explore prospects for its growth through expanding output […]

BeefLedger and an interdisciplinary research team at QUT will work with food-buying groups across Australia and China to explore blockchain-based approaches to streamlining cross-border trade, in the initial proof-of-concept stage of a multi-stage Future Food Systems project that will develop the soft and hard digital infrastructure needed to support the growth of smart trade.

Inefficiencies in supply chains are exacerbated by disruptions to demand, such as the recent panic buying at supermarkets worldwide following COVID-19-related shutdown announcements. UNSW’s Professor Sami Kara explains how the ‘bullwhip effect’ typically resulting from sudden changes in demand impacts […]

It’s business not-quite-as-usual under COVID-19 restrictions, but Sydney-based start-up Sprout Stack is adapting to the new normal with increased hygiene and safety protocols and forward-looking ‘remote’ research.

Innovative Brisbane-based company Austgrains is working with pulse-crop experts at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and food scientists from universities across Australia to develop tasty pulse-based products with proven nutritional and prebiotic credentials. It is hoped the research will benefit […]

As an agri-biotech company, Greenbio Group looks forward to working with automation experts in the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision at Queensland University of Technology to develop high-tech automated facilities in which to grow food and medicinal plants for use in high-value […]

The first General Meeting of the Future Food Systems CRC was held on Monday 16 December. Members of the CRC entity elected the independent, skills-based Board by unanimous resolutions. The Board now comprises the Chair, Fiona Simson, Valerie Linton, Peter […]

As a food grower, you might think I’m part of a dying breed of people. Climate change, scarcity of arable land and price pressures are enough to add worry lines to the most weathered farmer’s face. And while I worry […]

CRC partner Providence Asset Group brings a wealth of expertise around smart technologies – including renewable energy for microgrids and world-first hydrogen technology for green-power storage – to the collective table, and is positioned to play a key role in […]

New CRC partner BeefLedger, with its expertise in blockchain technology and hands-on experience in the Chinese market, will be a boon to participants looking to export premium high-value food products. And that doesn’t just mean beef. Driven by a belief […]

Cordelia Selomulya is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at UNSW and has taken up a lead role in the Future Food Systems CRC as its Director of Research and Commercialisation. She brings extensive experience working with industry partners, including Bega, […]

On Friday 18 October, Liverpool City Council hosted a meeting of interested stakeholders to discuss Future Food Systems CRC research priorities for the proposed food and agribusiness hub in Western Sydney. Held at the site of the new Western Sydney […]

A Food Hubs, Logistics and Trade Forum was held on June 28 in Liverpool, the centre of the CRC’s Western Sydney future food hub. The event brought together CRC industry, government and research participants from across Australia. Participants explored how […]

The establishment of the Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC) at Murdoch University, a key research partner of the Future Food Systems CRC, will advance our understanding of the human phenome, underpinning more sophisticated personalised medicine and paving the way for […]

Liverpool City Council has won a Committee for Sydney Smart Cities Award for the third year in a row. Council was awarded Best Cross-Sectoral Collaboration for its work in agribusiness across three tiers of government, researchers, businesses and farmers. Liverpool […]