Calls to ‘scale up’ Australian food manufacturing globally

Former Costco Wholesale Australia CEO Patrick Noone has called on the Australian government and private industry to “scale up” and introduce food products around the world. A new peak body representing the country’s food manufacturers has been established this month – called Food and Agri Australia. Chairman Patrick Roseman says the sector is worth about $150 billion dollars a year, and is made up of roughly 17,000 businesses, employing about 280,000 people. He claims the government can do more to help Aussie food companies export their products to overseas markets - which could lift their revenue to $200 billion by 2035. “We are from all over the world – we have every culture in the world here, making things,” Mr Noone said. “Now it’s a matter of getting all that together in one central, planned business model; let’s go and export food.”