The Australian Food Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Australian Food Industry - Essay Example The food industry in Australia produces a large quantity of a variety of products. Although the weather in the land down under is mostly dry, there is still a variety in the types of land and in the weather. There are areas that have tropical weather, coastal areas that experience much rain, and dry to medium dry areas. Each area uses the type of climate that they have to produce specific kinds of food products. With this variety of climate, combined with the recent development in food processing and technology, Australia has gained a reputation for being one of the steadiest food suppliers across the globe. (About Australia, 2008) As with most countries, Australia's food industry has been a massive contributor to its economic condition. Forty six percent of the retail profits across Australia for the years 2006 to 2007 have come from the food industry. There was a significant increase of 8% in the turn over from last year's production. In the year span of 1980s and 1990s, several varieties of industries were established due to new and pressing demands in the market. Some land-based fresh produce were brought to the market such as Asian vegetables, fruits and herbs. Atlantic salmon farming was also brought into the industry at that time, along with the catching of Bluefin Tuna that grew out of wild. Apart from these products, meats of kangaroos and crocodiles have gained popularity in recent times. The respective sub-industries of these foods have been trying to introduce more and more similar products into the Australian market, and the global market as a whole. (About Australia, 2008) Australian Processed Food There are several sub sectors in the processed food industry in Australia. These are bakery products, beverage and malt manufacturing, dairy products, flour mill and cereal food manufacturing, fruit and vegetable processing, meat and other meat products, oil and fat manufacturing, seafood processing, sugar and confectionery manufacturing, and other food manufacturing. The sheer number of sub-industries under the Australian food industry should be enough to tell us how flourishing this industry is. The industry with the largest revenue in 2005-2006 is the food and beverage industry. As earlier mentioned, the Australian food industry has been a large contributor to the country's economic standing. This is because the food industry provides businesses, jobs and regional development where it operates. Fifty of the country's biggest food and beverage companies are responsible for seventy-five percent of the income of the local industry. Supermarkets are responsible for the majority of sa les of food products in the country, where sixty percent comes from the sale of food and liquor in 2006-2007. (About Australia, 2008) The Organic Industry in Australia In recent times, there has been a huge demand for organic products to be released in to the markets, not only in Australia, but across countries as well. Major food companies, such as Nestle and Unilever were some of the first large companies to venture in to production of organic food across different processed food products. Australia has followed the trend through a small and significant, but quickly growing group of farmers producing organic products. The essence of organic foods is such that consumers are aware that they will be paying a