Food imports expected to reach $8.5 billion

09/06/2009 - 8:37 am by: Nigel Austin - Adelaide Advertiser

Food is flooding into Australia at a rapidly increasing rate, rising by $1 billion this year, as concerns grow about the nation's need to buy so much from overseas.

Food imports will reach a record $8.5 billion in 2008-09, raising fears that Australia is sacrificing economic growth, jobs and food security and threatening food safety.

Industry leaders said the issue of cheap and often subsidised products is a particular worry for the fruit, vegetable, seafood, pork and dairy industries. Producer groups have blamed big business for importing so much cheap overseas food, while ignoring locally grown products.Australia's food labelling laws have also faced heavy criticism because they make it virtually impossible for consumers to tell what is imported.

The food industry fears as consumers buy more home brand products, the level of imports will continue rising. Fruit and vegetables top the list of import categories at $1.7 billion in 2008-09, followed by seafood at $1.3 billion, coffee, tea, cocoa and spices ($1.2bn), cereals ($800m), dairy ($600m) and meat ($575m).A rising flood of cheap, imported ham for the Christmas market is the latest issue facing both consumers and producers.

Grow SA chief executive Mike Redmond said we were the best food-producing nation in the world and questioned the need to import so much. "If consumers knew what they were trading off, in fair wages, superannuation and food safety by not insisting on local food, they'd be quite surprised," he said.South Australian Farmers Federation chief executive Carol Vincent said it was absolutely ridiculous that so much food was imported."With the amount of land we have in Australia we can easily support our consumers and many others in the world,"

Ms Vincent said.Anders Hall loved the taste of the locally grown Do Bee Honey from Aldinga Beach at the Adelaide Showgrounds Farmers Market yesterday.

His mother Darlene Hall from Littlehampton said she preferred to buy fresh, Australian-grown produce.

 

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