Food SA has established a portal to enable food and beverage businesses to report impacts and issues arising from business disruptions associated with COVID-19.
Food SA CEO Catherine Sayer said focus was on ensuring governments were aware of industry concerns and impacts, ranging from technical support to managing impacts for small businesses.
Food SA is the peak industry association for food and beverage manufacturers, processors and producers in SA.
It is the only organisation of its type in Australia, and members have been active in supplying clear evidence of impacts of COVID-19 to assist planning at industry and government levels.
"Our ability to gather information from our members means we are able to quickly update the state and federal government. This is vitally important in the fast-paced and constantly evolving situation we are all facing," Ms Sayer said.
"As businesses strive to manage disruptions and to assess options for their current and future distribution channels, we also encourage any food and beverage business becoming more active in the e-commerce space to be vigilant about their cyber security.
Ms Sayer said a portal had been established to enable food and beverage businesses to quickly and easily provide updates on impacts and issues affecting their businesses.
This information will help keep everyone informed and ensure strategies for support are targeting the real needs of a largely small business-oriented industry in SA.
"We all know that clear communication is the most powerful tool we have against COVID-19, for our community, our businesses and our economy, and Food South Australia is working to ensure access to information both for industry and the Government," Ms Sayer said.
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