South Australian ban on fruit stickers delayed amid fear of costs and supply chain disruption

ABC NEWS (Australia)

South Australia was to become the first Australian state to ban stickers on fruit and vegetables in September but has delayed the change. The industry has been warning the move would drive up costs for producers and damage the national supply chain. Belinda Wilson is head of International Fresh Produce Association Australia.

Transcript

00:00Good. Fruit stickers, they may seem so small, but they serve such a big purpose and so many

00:10reasons why we have stickers on our fruit. So when we look at consumer focused, those

00:17little stickers are actually helping us as consumers make really informed choices. So

00:23they're telling us what we're buying. An apple, as we know, is not just an apple. On screen

00:29there, you're seeing such a big choice. And particularly when it comes to, I know for me,

00:33red apples, trying to differentiate the difference between what is a Fuji or a pink lady. Those

00:41stickers also tell us where it was grown and whether it's Australian or imported. And it

00:47really matters when we get to the checkout. So we all are saying in the retail environment that

00:53we're using self-checkouts more and more. So that little sticker helps you choose the right

00:58product at the self-service checkout and to pay the right price so that the right price

01:03is actually going back to those that are growing fruit and vegetables. Those stickers also support

01:11food safety and traceability. So if there ever was to be a safety concern, those stickers help

01:18us trace the fruit right back to its source. And that's critical for public health and rapid

01:24response. And then those stickers help for planning and our future planning and what is next.

01:31So the data that the retailers collect from those stickers help us as an industry understand what

01:38consumers like, what they're buying, and that helps with future planting decisions. So we're helping

01:44farmers meet demand and reduce waste. And the last thing is when we're talking about waste,

01:51those little stickers mean they're actually reducing the need for bigger and more packaging. So without

01:58a sticker, some of our fruit and veg would have to be packed in a bag or wrapped to have that same

02:04information that's what is on that little sticker. So those stickers help us keep packaging to a

02:10minimal whilst giving consumers all the information that they actually need.

02:14But are these stickers biodegradable, compostable, Belinda, or not?

02:21Currently, what you're seeing in the supermarket, a lot of what is currently on your fruit is not

02:28biodegradable. But the great news is we are moving towards biodegradable. So compostable stickers,

02:37thanks to a lot of research and development over the last decades, they now exist. So that is

02:42fantastic. And our industry really welcomes a move to sustainability and moving away from single use

02:49plastics. So and what we're also seeing is a lot of trials. So for example, Zespri, so all your kiwi fruit,

02:58Zespri have committed to 100% of those stickers on the kiwi fruit being compostable stickers.

03:05But here, Belinda, do you understand the drive for stickers to disappear from fruit and veg? Many,

03:12as you've just said, are non-compostable, the plastic, and you know, they're annoying for shoppers to remove.

03:20They, they look, we get it. And we understand that those little stickers are not a favourite, but they

03:27are so important. I would dispute not everyone hates them. So my little nephew and the whole of his

03:35prep classroom seem to have a competition about who can collect the most of those little stickers

03:40and put them on their lunchbox. So, so that's great, because we actually need to encourage

03:45more kids to eat more fruit and veggies. But the move away from single use plastics and those little

03:52stickers, it's absolutely the right move. So to have a compostable sticker option is amazing. And there's

04:01so many other things under development as well. So this is really a great ground to start shifting the

04:08goalpost. So there is an understanding among your members that fruit stickers will disappear. It's just a

04:13matter of time. Well, they'll move to something different. So the South Australian pause on the

04:22the band of their, their stickers is actually a really good thing. And we're so thankful that

04:27the government has listened because this, this announcement brings South Australia in line

04:34with the rest of Australia. So industry, we are absolutely committed to reducing that single waste

04:41plastic and compostable stickers is definitely one option. What we're also seeing and the audience

04:51may have over Easter seeing some of their avocados etched with Easter Bunny and other little Easter

04:58themed things. That is, that is a new technology that we're trialing as well. So that laser etching

05:07is a different move away from stickers. But noting that something like that doesn't work for all products,

05:15but it's, it's all trial and error. And it's great to see innovation in our industry.

05:20Overall, Belinda, how are fruit and veggie farmers doing right now?

05:24Tough. It's, it's certainly been really hard. Everyone knows that we've been hit by various weather

05:33events from drought to floods and everything in between. Our growers are resilient, but there's only so much

05:40that they can take. This is another reason why we're so grateful that the South Australian government

05:46did listen because compostable stickers, they're an option, but we need more time and they cost

05:53twice as much. Our industry doesn't need more costs at the moment with everything that's been hit with.

05:59We're all experiencing cost of living and that has a huge cost on our growers as well.

06:05Well, they're being hit hard by rising energy costs, insurance, transportation and storage.

06:12So there is a few different solutions and I would encourage all of us to actually eat more fruit

06:20and veggies because drought and flood are one thing, but we're also seeing year on year a decline in us

06:29eating enough of our recommended fruit and vegetables. So I think as an industry and consumer,

06:35Australians, we need to get behind our growers and eat more fruit and vegetables.

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