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As a founding member of the Australian Fresh Produce Alliance (AFPA), Costa fully supports the Position Statement on Fresh Produce Packagingwhich has been released publicly in September 2019.

Australian Fresh Produce Alliance Position Statement on Fresh Produce Packaging

Food waste is a growing global problem, with significant economic, social and environmental consequences. Fresh fruit and vegetables are perishable, which means they start deteriorating as soon as they are picked and if not handled and stored properly, can lead to wastage.

The purpose of packaging is to reduce fresh food waste and its disposal to landfill, because nobody gains if tonnes of freshly grown, healthy and nutritious food are thrown away because of inadequate or no packaging.

We recognise that waste in all forms presents its challenges and this requires a holistic approach. Therefore, the design and application of the packaging we use is also aimed at minimising packaging waste.

Five key things we commit to minimise packaging waste are:

1. Ensuring that the role of packaging is focused on providing consumers with freshly grown, healthy and nutritious food, and minimising food waste.
2. Implementing the agreement by state and federal Environment Ministers in April 2018 that ‘100 per cent of Australian packaging be recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025 or earlier to cut down on the amount of waste we produce’. – More than 75% of Alliance members’ current retail packaging (by volume) is recyclable, compostable or reusable.
3. Removing any non-functional or surplus packaging by designing it for optimal efficiency to maintain product freshness and maximising the availability of nutritious food.
4. Reducing the amount of packaging through the broader supply chain, and working toward developing a circular economy for packaging (where current packaging is recycled into new packaging) including recycled content.
5. Working with industry, suppliers, recyclers, and retailers to deliver outcomes, and encouraging the development of environmentally sustainable packaging.

Today Australia’s first independent research into packaging of fresh produce has highlighted its essential role in helping to reduce food waste.

The Australian Fresh Produce Alliance (AFPA) of which Costa is a member, today released the research undertaken by RMIT and Empauer that indicates fresh produce packaging can help mitigate the estimated $20 billion of food lost or wasted in Australia every year.

The research mapped the lifecycle of 10 fresh produce items both with and without packaging. The results show that the benefits of packaging of fresh produce include product protection, extension of shelf life and the ability to communicate product information which assists consumers.

“AFPA recognises that consumers are concerned about the level of type of packaging that is used for fresh produce, what this research demonstrates is there are real practical reasons for using packaging for certain types of fresh produce,” said Michael Rogers, AFPA CEO.

“It’s shocking to think that an estimated 7.3 million tonnes of food valued at $20 billion dollars is lost or wasted every year in Australia, while rates of obesity are rising due to poor diet and low intake of fresh fruit and vegetables,” said Mr Rogers.

“It is important that consumers better understand why producers utilise particular packaging formats, whether it be to ensure product integrity in the supply chain, extend shelf life and/or reduce food waste.

“A good example demonstrated by the research is the use of punnets to package berries. The environmental impact of the waste generated from damaged, unsellable fruit actually outweighs the impact of utilisng the punnet,” said Mr Rogers.

However, the report does highlight the importance of working to reduce packaging where reasonably possible and the importance of identifying packaging that provide greater opportunities for recycling.

“AFPA members are focused on delivering the best quality fruit and vegetables to consumers to ensure all Australians have access to fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy balanced diet and are conscious of meeting this goal in the most sustainable way possible,” said Mr Rogers

‘The role of packaging for Australian fresh produce’ report and industry summary are both available to download from the Australian Fresh Produce Alliance website – freshproduce.org.au

Costa and Melbourne Polytechnic were proud participants in the Victorian Government’s Workforce Training Innovation Showcase held recently at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

The Victorian Minister for Training, Gayle Tierney experienced firsthand the new virtual reality (VR) mushroom harvesting training tool which is being developed by Costa, Melbourne Polytechnic and VR technology company, Liminal.

$1.6 million funding from the Victorian Government’s Workforce Training & Innovation Fund is being used to develop state-of-the-art VR technology designed to revolutionise the training of the mushroom harvesting workforce. The technology promises gains in productivity and safety – and its multi-lingual delivery is perfect for the Costa’s predominantly migrant workers, many of who have English as a second language.

The VR training environment mirrors the harvesting operations of the mushroom farm but does not impact business output. It allows potential employees to fully understand the job and skill requirements before committing to the role, allowing prospective harvesters to ‘try before they buy’.

Costa Tomatoes and Berries were excited to be a part of the UNE Farming Futures Careers Fair, held on July 26, to showcase Costa and promote employment opportunities within the company for agricultural graduates.

Farming Futures is aimed at exposing both university and school students to the vast opportunities that are available for graduates. The event is mutually beneficial as it enables for networking and one on one time with students and industry representatives.

Costa offers a Graduate Program through the Tomotoe category and a number of University scholarships to support students looking for a career in the agriculture and horticulture industry.

For rural science student Emily Dryden, receiving a scholarship from Costa Berries has made all the difference in her studies at the University of New England.

Emily, from the Central Coast of New South Wales, is in the second year of a Bachelor of Rural Science and is the inaugural recipient of the Costa (Berry Category) Scholarship in Horticulture, worth $5000 a year.

Costa Berries supports scholarships at the University of New England, University of Queensland and the University of Tasmania to support students who are pursuing a career in agriculture or horticulture.

Emily, who comes from a single parent family, said the Scholarship had ensured she could focus on her studies.

“The scholarship has been a great help to me, providing financial assistance to buy text books and other equipment. It means I don’t have to try and fit in part-time work and am able to concentrate on my degree,” she said.

“I am passionate about the agricultural and horticultural industry and the sustainability of both the environment and our future resources.  I am keen to use science and research as a gateway to improving and sustaining Australia’s agricultural production and ensuring that every person has access to fresh food and safe water for generations to come.”

The Costa team in Far North Queensland raised a total of $8320 through the Great Wheelbarrow Race.

The money is being used to help the recovery Joey Donald, an eight-year old Yungaburra boy who is battling severe injuries after a horse-riding accident in late 2018. Joey’s mum, Sarah-Jane Mohammed, said Joey had just returned home after seven months in hospital.

“He has progressed well physically walking inside the house unaided and outside the house with the assistance of a walker/wheelchair. Cognitively, socially and emotionally he still has a fair way to go. He was diagnosed mid November 2018 with Severe Diffuse Axonal Injury and doctors explained it takes two years for the brain to heal, so we have hope that he will continue to progress,” Sarah-Jane said.

“A massive thanks to Carolyn Tomerini  and Ben Turner for organising the fundraising side of things and then of course the runners. We are so grateful for the support we have received from this amazing community.”

Ensuring the health of native bees and honeybees and enhancing the pollination of crops is the aim of a partnership between Costa and bee researchers at the University of New England.

UNE and the team at Costa Berries in Corindi are part of the collaborative ‘Securing Pollination for More Productive Agriculture’ project that is investing more than $5 million to develop guidelines for effective pollinator management and stakeholder adoption.

Senior horticulturist at Costa, Maurizio Rocchetti, said bees played a critical role in all crop production and the ongoing research collaboration with UNE and other partners was vital to ensure bee health.

One activity conducted under the project focused on optimising pollination for a range of crops including blueberries, melon, mango and raspberries.

“We were interested in finding out more about honeybees and stingless bees in particular. We knew both species visited blueberry flowers on the farm, but we didn’t necessarily know if they were both efficient or if one was more so than the other,” said Dr Romina Rader, a Senior Lecturer in Community Ecology at UNE.

“We did lots of experimental work where we watched flowers for a long time and observed how many visits the different pollinators would make to the flowers.”

Dr Rader said the project also looked at how many wild bees were providing pollination.

“We found there were on average 25-125 stingless bee colonies per hectare, each with thousands of forager bees.”

Mr Rocchetti said new activities were now looking at how to support the bees.

“We want to see what sort of flowers we need to introduce on the farm in response to certain weather patterns or when there are no other flowers available,” he said.

“The crop itself is one type of pollen and bees need diverse pollen to have good colony health. This year particularly in

January and February when there were no flowers around, we saw the weight of the colonies of stingless bees going down.

“What we are trying to identify is management practices that can deliver better outcomes for growers, the environment and bee keepers.”

“We know that blueberry pollen doesn’t have a high protein content, which bees need for the brood. We are looking at providing some additional pollen sources to attract bees and help maintain strong hives.”

Dr Rader said the research was essentially about making sure the hives remained strong.

“All the things we are doing is to make sure the bees can work hard and stay happy year round – we are doing our best to make sure the bee populations stay healthy.”

She said another project has just begun looking at the use of flies in crop pollination. This project is co-funded by multiple partners in industry, government and research partners as part of Horticulture Innovation’s pollination plus program. It is being led by the Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food.

“We are interested in finding out if flies can move blueberry pollen. Some flowers are more attractive to flies than to bees. Flies also tend to move quite sporadically, they don’t have a social colony to go back to. Their whole foraging behaviour is different to bees.” she said.

Flies that come out in colder temperatures than bees are the most predominant pollinator in alpine regions.

“It comes back to having the insurance of multiple species providing pollination services. There’s a bit of work to do. At this point we are just going to see if they are going to play a role and be efficient. Potentially it could be better for some crops,” Dr Rader said.

“What we are trying to identify is management practices that can deliver better outcomes for growers, the environment and bee keepers.”

The ‘Securing Pollination for More Productive Agriculture’ project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program.

The Costa Berry team in Tasmania recently hosted a group of Burnie High School students, who visited the East Devonport strawberry farm, the Distribution Centre and the Wesley Vale raspberry farm.

Burnie High School teacher, Steph Prendergast, said the group had a great visit.

“Thank you so much for the Berry Amazing AGventure at Costa!! My Grade 8 – Introduction to Agriculture class had a great time,” she said.

In Coffs Harbour, representatives from the Corindi berry farm attended the Coffs Coast Career Connections event, with around 1200 Year 10 students attending to find out about career opportunities.

Sean Espinola, Variety Improvement Technician with the Variety Improvement Team, highlighted the high demand for qualified horticulturists in Australia, and the diverese range of opportunities available.

Costa supports scholarships for students interested in careers in agriculture and horticulture at the University of Tasmania, University of New England and University of Queensland. Anyone interested in finding out more can contact: CostaBerryHR@costagroup.com.au

Costa Mushrooms Queensland Manager Jamie Fletcher recently visited the home of the  Mustangs Brothers Rugby League Club at Chambers Flat (south of Brisbane) to check on the new club jumpers which are now sponsored by Costa’s North Maclean mushroom farm.

 The club jumpers proudly display the ‘Costa – Well Grown’ logo, and Jamie commended the club for the great job they do in promoting the playing of sport in the local area and for providing young kids with an opportunity to be fit and healthy.   

“Costa is a major employer and economic presence in the local area, with 200 workers employed at our farm, so it is really important for us to support local community groups, including sporting teams such as the Mustangs”, said Jamie.

The Mustangs field teams from Under 6 (5-years-old) right up to the adults Open category. The club also has plans to start a women’s team.

The Mustangs club is run entirely by volunteers who are typical of the commitment and dedication that goes into the running of sporting clubs right across the country.

Costa looks forward to providing ongoing support to the Mustangs and wishes all of their teams the very best for season 2019!

Australia celebrated National Banana Day on Wednesday May 1 and the team at Costa Bananas got into the celebrations by getting involved in their local community. 

5 MILLION Bananas are consumed by Australians everyday making them one of the most popular fruits in the country.

Approximately 95 per cent of bananas grown in Australia are the Cavendish variety. The next most popular is Lady Finger (about four per cent) and then there a range of other varieties grown for smaller markets, including Ducasse, Goldfinger, Red Dakka and plantain cooking bananas.

While Queensland accounts for 94 per cent of Australia’s 13,000 hectares of banana production, almost all of that is in North Queensland, mainly around the Cassowary Coast (Tully, Innisfail and Kennedy) region, south of Cairns, on the Atherton Tablelands, and at Lakeland, north of Cairns.

Costa has banana farms at Walkamin and Tully, producing from approximately 270 hectares.  

Costa was pleased to visit Walkamin Primary School to celebrate the day, where students enjoyed eating some locally grown bananas.

The official opening of Costa’s Childers (Central QLD) Avocado Packing Facility extension was held on Tuesday 30 April.

Costa was delighted to welcome The Honourable Keith Pitt, Federal Member for Hinkler to officially open the new expansion. Funding was made available through the Federal Coalition government’s Regional Jobs and Investment Package.

The expanded facility in Childers will create more jobs for the local region through greater packing capacity, allowing both Costa and our third party growers to expand production in the coming years to meet customer demand.

Costa Avocado Category General Manager Shanon Williams noted the importance of the Childers growing region to Costa’s avocado production footprint.

“The Childers region is an important growing area for Costa and investing in this facility means we are making a long term commitment to the region, including the creation of new jobs and employment opportunities for people from within the region”, said Shanon.

Costa’s investment in the facility while increasing our capacity to grow, and export pack avocados, will also enable a greater focus on the health and safety of our workers which is paramount to Costa and our operations.

Costa’s avocado, banana and berry teams have joined forces to build new vegetable gardens at the Walkamin State School on the Atherton Tablelands, in addition to providing fresh fruit for the school’s morning breakfast club.

Organiser Kylie Stonehouse, from Costa Bananas, said it was great to be involved in such an important community project.

“Walkamin is a small country school and it was great to get in there and help out. We put in 11 new gardens and an irrigation system,” Kylie said.

“The school uses the vegetables for cooking on site. Every Friday different grades do cooking classes from the garden on ‘Fun Friday’. This teaches the children healthy eating and good food habits through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program,” Kylie said.

“With the expertise of our growers and horticulturists we are delighted to be able to help improve the garden.”

Kylie said the team was also providing fresh fruit for the school’s breakfast club and Costa volunteers were recently at the school serving up banana pancakes.

School principal Mr Ric Baruksopulo welcomed the support from the Costa team.

“We are a small school of 55 kids and three teachers. We have been working on a vege garden for a long time, but there’s not enough people to keep it going,” Ric said.

“Last year we didn’t have a big enough variety of food, but now with the help from Costa we have raised garden beds and irrigation and we’ll be able to grow a lot more things. We take the food and teach the kids about healthy eating — it’s a good community project.”

Ric said a team of 35 people from Costa had come in to redo the gardens and that would be followed by a working bee involving the parents and students.

“It’s all about teaching healthy lifestyle choices and any time we can work with local farms is great.”

Donations were also received from business and individuals including Dairy Famers, James and Sari Geraghty, MSF Sugar, Atherton Council and Yuruga Nursery.

Costa is Australia’s leading grower, packer and marketer of fresh fruit and vegetables. Operations include approximately 4500 planted hectares of farmland, 30 hectares of glasshouse facilities and seven mushroom growing facilities. On the Atherton Tablelands, Costa operates three berry farms at Walkamin, Tolga and Rangeview, six avocado farms and two banana farms in the Atherton and Walkamin regions.