Food South Australia has established a portal to enable food and beverage businesses to report impacts and issues arising from business disruptions associated with COVID-19.
“Our focus is ensuring governments are aware of industry concerns and impacts, ranging from technical support to managing impacts for small businesses,” says Food SA CEO Catherine Sayer.
Sayer told Food & Drink Business that the portal was not just for South Australian companies. “We are the peak industry association for food and beverage manufacturers, processors and producers in South Australia but also the only organisation of its type in Australia. As a peak body we are more than happy to step up as the voice for the industry overall.”
“We have established the portal to enable food and beverage businesses to quickly and easily provide updates on impacts and issues affecting their businesses. This information is helping us keep everyone informed and ensure strategies for support are targeting the real needs of our largely small business-oriented industry in South Australia.
“We all know that clear communication is the most powerful tool we have against COVID-19, for our community, our businesses and our economy, and Food South Australia is working to ensure access to information both for industry and the government,” said Sayer.
Current panic buying was “ridiculous” and consumer behaviour was putting the supply chain under incredible pressure, she said. “We have more than enough food in this country to feed everyone. We are incredibly lucky in that regard. Consumer behaviour at the moment is totally unnecessary.”
“Our ability to gather information from our members means we are able to quickly update the state and federal government. This is vitally important in the fast-paced and constantly evolving situation we are all facing.
“As businesses strive to manage disruptions and to assess options for their current and future distribution channels, we also encourage any food and beverage business becoming more active in the e-commerce space to be vigilant about their cyber security,” Sayer said.
The portal is available via a link on the Food SA website.
