Australia’s Food System Faces More Vulnerability, Grocery Prices To Rise

Extreme weather events, the COVID-19 pandemic, industrial action, animal disease and geopolitical tensions have also been named as reasons Australia’s food system has faced vulnerability, leading to an increase in food prices.

By this time next year, food prices could soar another eight per cent, the National Food Supply Chain Alliance has forecasted.

A shortage in the food produce industry is also to blame for Australia’s failing system, with a shortage of up to 170,000 people.

Referring to the State of the Climate report, the alliance’s spokesman Richard Forbes described the nation’s food prices as one of the most important issues it faced.

"We've never seen 11 catastrophic weather events in three years … [more extreme weather] means the supply chain will be disrupted further. And when you have a disrupted supply chain, you'll see rising food prices"

With Australia exporting about 70 per cent of its produced food, members of the alliance have argued a national security plan could help reduce the rising cost of food prices and any further disruptions to the food system.

"There have been rises of around eight per cent (over the past year) we believe it could be as high as that again in 2023 and possibly into 2024, unless we have a plan to stabilise food prices," Mr Forbes said.

"These issues that we've been talking about aren't going anywhere.

"Unless we have a national food supply chain strategy, food prices will continue to increase … putting more pressure on Australian families."

Mr Forbes said he had been meeting with the federal government and the oppositions and said while introducing a plan would be “complex”, it was necessary to help Australia’s food system recover.

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