Queensland’s quality food companies can help meet US demand

Queensland Governor, Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley AO, has added her support to the State’s quality food suppliers, attending a food and beverage promotion featuring Queensland products at one of the USA’s top grocery chain stores in Los Angeles today.

Acting Premier Paul Lucas said today that the Governor attended a Bristol Farms Grocery Store promotion as part of G’day USA Australia Week activities and that the grocery chain was featuring Australian products throughout its Los Angeles stores in January.

“The Government is very pleased that the Governor was able to support efforts to raise the profile of Queensland-produced food and beverages in this very important export market for our State,” Mr Lucas said.

“The United States is the world’s largest food and beverage market valued at more than US$1 trillion (A$1.15 trillion) a year and the products on display in LA prove that Queensland’s fine food and beverage industries can provide the wide variety, high quality, safe, and innovative products required to service this market.

“Queensland has a number of advantages in providing the US with food products, including our diverse farming climates and operations, and our location in the Southern Hemisphere allowing our companies to supply ‘off season’ produce in the Northern Hemisphere,” Mr Lucas said.

The promotion attended by the Governor included two Queensland companies, Greg Norman Australian Prime, and Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, and she received a briefing from Mr Russ Supplee, General Manager of Greg Norman Australian Prime Beef covering the company’s activities in the US market.

Greg Norman Australian Prime is one of the important sponsors of G’Day USA Australia Week 2009, and will be providing Greg Norman Signature Wagyubeef for several of the official G’Day USA events, including the gala dinners in Los Angeles and New York.

“There is great demand in the US for quality Queensland beef. In 2007-08 the top Queensland food export to the US was meat and meat preparations at a value of A$536.7 million (US$365.7 million)."

The January Bristol Farms supermarket promotions are aimed at the high end US consumer, highlighting Queensland’s broader food and beverage industry.

“The Queensland Government is committed to assisting the export of quality Queensland food and beverage products to the US by providing assistance to Queensland exporters through business matching, market assessment and development, export training and assistance programs, in-market support, access to Trade Queensland international offices and access to allied services such as Austrade,” Mr Lucas said.

Greg Norman Signature Wagyu is the flagship line of Greg Norman Australian Prime, developed by internationally acclaimed golfer Greg Norman in partnership with Australian Agricultural Company (AAco), Australia's leading beef producer.

Bundaberg Brewed Drinks is a family owned company based in Bundaberg, Queensland which create premium, handcrafted beverages including Ginger Beer and Root Beer, from age old recipes using the finest natural ingredients to deliver a superior natural flavour. Bundaberg Ginger Beer and other Bundaberg Brewed Drinks products are now exported all over the world.

Media inquiries: Robert Hoge 0419 757 868