Australia's frozen food aisles are showing a growing presence of imported products, raising concerns among local farmers and food manufacturers about the future of domestic production.
According to the University of Tasmania's Associate Professor Louise Grimmer, household budgets are increasingly dictating purchasing decisions, often at the expense of local products. "If someone says to us, do you look for Australian products and for local products? Of course, it's really important to support farmers," she said. "But when you've got households that are struggling and you might have two products and really there's not a lot of difference between them, but one is a lot cheaper … that's going to be the product that households select. And that might not be a locally grown or Australian product."
The Australian government has announced a US$13 million campaign to encourage consumers to buy domestic produce as part of a broader effort to strengthen the local manufacturing and food processing sectors.
Tasmanian potato grower Matt Ryan said the situation is becoming urgent. "You can walk around with a pair of worn-out socks or undies for a couple of weeks, and put up with it, but you can't go without food, and the processed food industry is a big part of that," he said. He added that farmers and manufacturers face rising costs and growing competition from imported frozen products, particularly potato chips.
In 2024, Australia imported over 218,000 tons of frozen cooked potatoes, a 25% increase from the previous year. Much of this supply ends up in supermarkets, fast food outlets, and takeaway shops.
Tasmania, Australia's largest potato-producing region, has faced similar challenges before. In 2005, local farmers protested McDonald's decision to import French fries from New Zealand, launching the Fair Dinkum Food Campaign, which helped drive changes in country-of-origin labelling and briefly boosted domestic sourcing.
Ryan said the benefits of that effort have since faded. "They chose to engage with the processors to have private label offerings with Australian-grown and actively promoted that. Unfortunately, that's dissipated in recent years."
Supermarkets have expanded their own private-label brands, with both Coles and Woolworths sourcing a mix of local and international suppliers. Woolworths stated that most of its frozen vegetable range is Australian-grown, while Coles said international sourcing ensures supply stability throughout the year.
Former Woolworths distribution manager turned Tasmanian grower, Richard Bovill, said consumer choices will determine the sector's survival. "It's only Australian consumers by their behaviour that can make these industries stay in Australia and exist," he said. "If they are not buying the product, these factories disappear, and when they're gone, they're gone for good."
Source: ABC News
