Greater sustainability and improved nutrition through smart technology and supply chain logistics
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.
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.
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.
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’.
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.
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.
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.
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.