Fresh State of Affairs - Issue #53

53 JUN 2020 ISSUE

of affairs

Is the Melbourne Market Authority sucking the life out of the industry?

Shop Local to Veg in this Winter

COVID-19 has brought out the best and worst in landlords, so what really happened here at the Melbourne Market?

COVID-19 Restrictions — Where are we at?

ISSUE 53 — JUN 2020

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4 — COVID-19 has brought out the best and worst in landlords, so what really happened here at the Melbourne Market?

8 — COVID-19 Restrictions — Where are we at?

16 — Pinnacle Fresh wins Marketer of the Year Award

What does the Melbourne Market look like now that restrictions are starting to ease?

Pinnacle Fresh's 'Dracula Citrus' campaign win's them the PMA Marketer of the Year Award

During a time when were supposed to be 'all in this together' the MMA have shown their true colours

10 — National exposure for 18 — Worldly Wonders Positives to come out of COVID-19 A Better Choice and the Fruit and Vegetable industry affecting our nature

6 — Push Ups for Mental Health

The Melbourne Market was featured in two TODAY Show segments over the past few months

Barkers Fresh Produce take part in the 2020 Push Up Challenge, raising money for mental health

12 — Shop Local to Veg in this Winter

20 — FC Business Solutions Complete Business Support every step of the way

‘A Better Choice!’ Winter Campaign to hit your radios and screens!

Published By:

CEO: Jason Cooper jason@freshstate.com.au Editor/Advertising: Dee Sherry dee@freshstate.com.au

W: freshstate.com.au P: (03) 9408 6627 2

Photography: Dee Sherry

Design & Print:

Distribution: Fresh State of Affairs is produced by Fresh State Ltd. and is a free publication.

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President’s Message 22

22 — Recipe A great winter recipe: Chicken and Vegetable Tagine

23 — Calendar of Events + Postponed Events

It’s been a tough few months and there's still a long way to go. The lifting of lockdowns and re-opening of cafes, restaurants, and other hospitality businesses, is sure to relieve some pressure off our industry. I hope everyone is continuing to stay healthy and safe during these difficult times.

The last few months have brought some light upon the cracks within the Melbourne Market Authority. Our landlords, who we believed would want the best for tenants, have once again disappointed us. In this issue of Fresh State of Affairs, you will see how requesting ‘Rent Relief’ disappointingly played out during the hardest times of the Global pandemic. Coronavirus restrictions around the market are again discussed, and we hear from Pinnacle Fresh after winning the PMA Marketer of the Year Award. As always, this magazine is packed with insightful reads about many different topics.

Once again, due to the restrictions concerning Coronavirus, this magazine will be an online-only version. This magazine is easily accessible anywhere and on any screen. We always appreciate input from our members and the community; if you have any feedback, please let us know.

Shane Schnitzler President Fresh State Ltd.

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COVID-19 has brought out the best and worst in landlords, so what really happened here at the Melbourne Market?

Sometimes it's hard to work out who are the heroes and who are the villains in any story …

At the beginning of the current COVID-19 crisis when Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that landlords would be among those who "are going to be making sacrifices in the months ahead, and everyone does have that role to play," he clearly had all landlords, including the Victorian State Government in mind. While landlords are being encouraged to work with their tenants, it's disappointing that the Government themselves are proved to be one of the hardest and most unreasonable to deal with.

MMA made it almost impossible to qualify for any rent relief. Unless, of course, if those businesses were prepared to release at least two years of their audited financial statements, two years of their full trading history and management accounts, as well as the financial statements of any significant shareholders in the company. The list goes on, requests for copies of tax returns and future forecasts, in an environment where some businesses were struggling to keep their doors open but were also expected to know what the future holds.

The Melbourne Market Authority (MMA), the state-appointed watchdog and landlord of the Melbourne Markets in Epping, were slow to react to many tenants' dire financial situations. Unlike many of the more reasonable landlords around the country, including the other interstate markets, the

In April 2020, Premier Daniel Andrews made a statement that "More than ever, we need to be working in partnership. Landlords working with tenants. Tenants working with landlords. And Government willing to help those most in need."

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Perhaps the Premier thought that this sage advice should only be relevant for private enterprise landlords because the Government's actions suggest the opposite is true if you are unfortunate enough to be the tenant of a Victorian government-owned facility.

Tenants that are eligible for the Government's JobKeeper program were being put under the same level of scrutiny, even after already being approved, and in some cases were already receiving payments from the federal JobKeeper support package.

Interestingly, the Victorian Small Business Commission, who mediate between tenants and landlords when a dispute arises, specifically listed amongst their guidelines on their website what a landlord could and couldn't request from their tenants:

A landlord should not: ¡ request future cash flow projections ¡ request balance sheets, profit, and loss or year

to date financials

Unfortunately for the tenants at the Melbourne Market, the MMA decided to ignore the advice of their Government by requesting far more information than was required to support any rent relief claim.

Why the MMA went down this path is anyone's guess. The cynics would suggest that it was simply a 'grab for sensitive information' that may be used for another purpose at a later stage. What is clear is that they came up with an 'offer' that appeared to be specifically designed so that no-one would take it up, and if they did, there was a high price to pay in terms of privacy compared to any actual rent relief that they may receive.

Thankfully, albeit months after it should have happened, the Melbourne Market Authority finally conceded and made an offer to all market tenants of a rent-free period from April to May. While the usual rhetoric will no doubt come out with comments like, 'the rules were constantly changing,' or one of our all-time favorites, 'it's the state's fault,' the reality is that the MMA had an opportunity to show true leadership during the crisis, and failed. They put their tenants through stress and anxiety, which was completely unnecessary in the end. Even the letter which

accompanied the 'generous offer' of a rent-free period should be treated with some suspicion.

Many of the conditions are open to interpretation, with others merely being vague in detail.

The MMA and Victorian Government's only focus during the crisis should have been on ensuring sustainability within the industry. If the businesses at the Melbourne Market were unable to access the support that they needed to continue their operations until the end of this crisis, some of the hardest hits and potentially the biggest losers would have been the Australian farmers. With fewer wholesalers to sell their produce through, after surviving recent droughts and then devastating fires, farmers may have found that they're growing produce that they couldn't sell.

The MMA has been out of step with not only the spirit of the code but the guidelines and advice from Government on how we all should be working together. These circumstances beg us to ask the question, is it time for a change in ownership? The MMA has highlighted its insufficient ability to run this market properly and deal with tenants' concerns during hard times.

The market review is another thing that is well overdue and adds another reason to why the market would be in better hands if it was privately owned. Wholesalers have been pushed around enough by the MMA, and this additional delay to any examination is unacceptable, especially for market users who are hanging on by a thread.

The Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney Markets have all made the change from government ownership to private ownership, with Melbourne the only outstanding exception. The value of having shareholders who know the industry and who can think big picture while still understanding how their decisions will affect the market as a whole cannot be understated.

With current issues still ongoing, perhaps it is time to remove the government shackles holding the Melbourne Market back and keeping it in the shadow of the other Australian markets.

Only time will tell, based on their future actions, about who were the heroes during the pandemic, and who were the true villains. Irrespective of the answer, what is obvious is that things still need to change if we want a vibrant, viable, and efficient supply of fresh produce to all Victorians.

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Push Ups for Mental Health Mental illnesses are a topic not talked about enough amongst our community. Not only confined to young adults, but mental health issues can also affect people no matter what age or gender they are. Around 75 percent of mental illnesses occur for the first time before a person turns 25, and can continue throughout a person’s whole life. Forty-five percent of Australians will experience a mental health issue at some point in their life.

In 2018, 3,046 lives were lost to suicide in Australia.

The Push-Up Challenge started in 2018 and aimed to raise awareness of mental health in Australia.

This year, The Push-Up Challenge highlights the devastating number of Australian lives lost to suicide in 2018. The challenge aims to reduce the amount of Australian lives lost to suicide by increasing awareness of mental illness in the community and raising funds for Headspace.

In teams or individually, you raise money for the cause while completing 3,046 push-ups in 21 days.

Our very own Barkers Fresh Produce from the Melbourne Market has been involved in the Push-up Challenge and created created a team to raise money for the cause. They achieved a great result of raising $1680, over their original $1000 donation goal.

Barkers have used their social media channels to spread the word and try to make a real difference to millions of young people.

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Barkers CEO Michael Barker said, “With everything that’s going on at the moment, regarding COVID-19, many people are doing it tough. Being involved in this challenge is a timely reminder of the people who are struggling with mental health issues”.

“Everyone at work has been a bit flat, and as there is little opportunity to go out and do team-building activities right now, the challenge gives us a way to have a laugh and come together.”

Get behind a cause that affects almost every second Australian. You may have had a personal experience with mental illness or might know someone going through a tough time. Donate and support the Barkers Fresh team and raise money for the fight against mental health. Donate here: thepushupchallenge.com.au/team/13001-barkers

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COVID-19 Restrictions

Where are we at?

Though cases have started to emerge again, as we move from June to July the feeling of normality slowly comes back into our lives. As a nation we have seen strict lockdown rules being lifted and social gathering rules being relaxed. We can once again visit our local cafes and restaurants, visit a playground, and most importantly see our friends and families. And now our economy has started its journey on the road to recovery.

At the Melbourne Market, rules remain in place where temperature testing continues to be a requirement of entry. Access to the market remains only for essential workers and outside visitors are encouraged to conduct meetings online or if extremely necessary, hold meetings where social distancing rules are enforced. Social distancing measures continue to be compulsory around the market and physically social distancing guidelines such as floor markings and signs will remain in place. Regular announcements are being played around the market every morning to remind the market community of the importance of social distancing and keeping good hygiene. And emails are constantly being sent out highlighting the rules that are still in place.

Thankfully, we can see the pre-COVID-19 life coming back into the market where Market cafes are now allowed to seat 20 people inside their cafés.

Now not confined to take-away only services,

we will slowly see the cafes busy once again and full of customers. Until more government announcements are made, limits will continue to be enforced to comply with requirements and social distancing rules will continue to be in place.

Buggy restrictions have now been lifted, allowing drivers and passengers to travel together in electric vehicles at the Market. Another sign of normal life being brought back and hopefully easing some of the wholesaler’s daily business pressures.

The risk of contracting COVID-19 is still apparent amongst the community, and as cases begin to rise again we need to abide by the restrictions. It is a timely reminder that if a Market user is feeling unwell in any way they should stay at home and seek medical advice. The biggest priority at the Melbourne Market is that the Market community remains safe and healthy. To ensure this priority is upheld there is still a long way before all restrictions are lifted and some may not be lifted at all.

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National exposure for A Better Choice and the Fruit and Vegetable industry During these hard times, the one thing the Melbourne Market did receive was a lot of media attention. Is it clear that the news networks have no shortage of stories to cover, and the pandemic effects on the fruit and veggie industry were one of them.

The Melbourne Market was highlighted in two segments on the TODAY Show over the past few months. The first highlighted how the industry had been hit during the pandemic. Showing clips from the South Melbourne market and using pre-filmed footage of inside the Melbourne Market, the story depicted how some wholesalers and retailers are struggling during this time.

Vince Brancatisano, from Prestige Produce, spoke with the TODAY show and explained how the industry has changed. "The demand has dropped since Coronavirus restrictions took place, parts of the industry mainly in hospitality and food services were shut down so that (fruit and vegetable) demand was taken away," said Vince.

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The demand has dropped since Coronavirus restrictions took place, parts of the industry mainly in hospitality and food services were shut down so that (fruit and vegetable) demand was taken away.

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The last 12 months have incorporated a lot of hardship from drought to bushfires and now the pandemic. The TODAY show featured an Apple Farmer in Narre warren, who said: "it's been a panicky time for us as we've had to pick our crop in the last six weeks and we've still got two or three weeks to go, and then that is stored. During this period, it's been critical to get that crop off across the country." Isolating pickers on the farms has been a priority to keep within the strict COVID-19 guidelines and to ensure their health, as well as consumers.

Despite showing the industry's struggles, the TODAY Show reported the 'silver lining' for growers was the extra demand for fruit and veggies during lockdown periods. Home-cooked meals and boosting your immunity were a high priority amongst families while staying at home.

In another segment on Weekend Today, they filmed from Scicluna's Real Food Merchants in Mentone. Showing their vibrant produce on display, Chris Scicluna showed the viewers their range of avocados, apples, potatoes, and much more. It's also worth noting, Chris was showing off the 'A Better Choice!' (ABC) apron. The ABC store locator was mentioned a few times throughout the segment as a source for viewers to find their local greengrocer, "which is the best place for them to get their fruit and veggies." Chris also gave many tips on how to cook different varieties of vegetables, which you can also find the ABC website.

Though both broadcasts detailed very different stories, it's always good to see wholesalers and retailers representing the Melbourne Market and our industry. In the future, we hope that better news of our industry's economy is broadcasted and that the situation among wholesalers and farmers improves. National exposure of the 'A Better Choice!' brand is always great, and we hope to see more ABC greengrocers on TV from around Australia.

It's been a panicky time for us as we've had to pick our crop in the last six weeks and we've still got two or three weeks to go, and then that is stored. During this period, it's been critical to get that crop off across the country.

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Shop Local to Veg in this Winter Another big ‘A Better Choice!’ campaign will hit your radios and screens this winter.

It’s all about shopping at your local greengrocer and independent supermarket to grab some fresh fruit and veggies for some delicious home dinners. When COVID-19 hit Australia and lockdown fast approached our nation, Australians had no choice but to stay home and keep to home cooking. Only essential food services including supermarkets, and greengrocers were outlets for shoppers to grab their food items from. Though restrictions are slowly lifting, as the cold weather sweeps over us, staying inside will be another popular option this winter.

The ‘Shop Local to Veg in this Winter!’ campaign positions the A Better Choice (ABC) Retailers as a fantastic source for local fresh produce. Across Australia it will be communicated that greengrocers and independent supermarkets stock a range of product which are locally sourced and are stores which are also not just confined to selling fruit and veggies. You can find all of your lunch and dinner meal ingredients at your local greengrocer without having to go anywhere else.

The strong message of supporting your local business’s, where they offer quality, freshness, and knowledgeable services, is at the forefront of this campaign. As social distancing restrictions are still in place, greengrocers have adopted new rules to ensure their employees and customers are safe when shopping.

The campaign will consist of four different platforms of advertising. Digital advertising will be used in the forms of YouTube digital content and Electronic Direct Mail (EDM). A series of digital clips which can be used on social media channels and YouTube will be created showcasing retailers in their stores communicating the key messaging. In these clips customers can see a variety of ‘real life’ local greengrocers, displaying their fresh produce. The EDM’s will encourage customers to shop at their local fruit shop or greengrocer, where they can purchase a variety of produce and collect other goodies such as recipes cards.

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Pinnacle Fresh wins Marketer of the Year Award Produce Plus and PMA Australia-New Zealand (PMA A-NZ), have awarded this year's Marketer of the Year Award to Melbourne-based company, Pinnacle Fresh. Pinnacle Fresh was recognised for its inventive 'Dracula Citrus' campaign, which allowed retailers to develop instore theatre in a commoditised category like citrus.

The campaign has boosted sales of Australiangrown citrus lines, both domestically and internationally. Pinnacle Fresh strived to create eye-catching point-of-sale materials, which included pop up display bins, posters, drink, and snacking recipe cards, and much more. They aimed to develop content that was highly visible and created an engaging shopping experience for consumers.

Fresh State visited the Pinnacle Fresh booth last year at the PMA Fresh Summit in California, where their vibrant display was also accompanied by giving out ‘Dracula Blood Orange Margarita's.’

Most of their displays were complemented by instore activations, such as juice tastings and crosspromotions with liquor departments.

Events and Marketing Manager of PMA A-NZ, Sam Clayfield, said, “the MOYA judges were impressed by the way this campaign harnessed marketing tools to create a unique experience for the consumer. This experience not only provided a highly effective path to initial purchase, it also built a brand platform that gave consumers something to tie their experience to, which in turn drove repeat sales.”

The MOYA judges were impressed by the campaign's ability to improve the value proposition for a commoditised category. The tagline ‘Wickedly Healthy’ was cleverly used to promote Australian citrus over the Halloween period in the US, positioning the fruit as a healthy alternative for trick-or-treaters.

Jordan Bain from Pinnacle Fresh, said “we are extremely thrilled to receive the award and humbled given the strength of the other nominees. Industry recognition gives further validation that the brand delivers on its Wickedly healthy messaging. We envisage seeing the brand continuing to grow around the Globe, and we will certainly be using MOYA 2020 award to help our cause.

We thank all of our partners across the supply chain from growers, packers, logistics, packaging, design, and others who have contributed in some way to give life to the Dracula Citrus family. Look out for the Dracula Citrus range in a store near you!”

Fresh State would like to give Pinnacle Fresh a big congratulations on this great achievement.

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Worldly Wonders It’s strange how, in a time when all people see are negatives, a positive randomly appears. Sometimes we take the simplest things for granted, and we need to stop and breathe in the fresh air to notice them. With lockdown and restrictions in place, COVID-19 has put a halt on industries and typical day to day activities. However, slowly as the world stops bustling with traffic, factories stop running, and people begin to stay indoors, air pollution starts to decrease.

As an unexpected outcome to this tragic crisis, cities worldwide have been recording vastly lower concentrations of air pollution since Coronavirus restrictions started. One to note is the Himalaya’s being visible from northern India for the first time in 30 years.

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While the changes have been brought on by a global pandemic, it is interesting to see the outcomes of slowing down industry and traffic.

Though our priority is rebuilding the Australian economy, it might be worth looking into how we reduce air pollution in the future to keep the wonders of our world visible.

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Chicken and Vegetable Tagine This Moroccan dish is bursting with flavour and is an absolute must have this winter. Traditionally cooked in a Tagine (a clay vessel with a cone shaped lid), we have made it a little easier and adapted the recipe to be cooked in a Dutch oven, (you can use a large frying pan also).

Ingredients ¡ 1 Kg Chicken thigh fillets,

skinless and boneless

A winter warming, nourishing meal that is definitely worthy of cooking to impress a crowd, yet simple enough to throw together for an easy and delicious family meal. Serve on top of your choice of steamed rice, couscous or cooked quinoa.

¡ 1 Tbsp Olive oil ¡ 800 grams Eggplant

Method

¡ 2 Tbsp Olive oil

1.

¡ 1 Cup Onions, peeled and diced ¡ 3 Garlic cloves, crushed ¡ 3 Cup Chicken stock, low sodium ¡ 1 ½ Cinnamon sticks ¡ 1 tsp Curry powder ¡ 1 tsp Cumin, ground ¡ 1/4 tsp Turmeric ¡ 1/4 tsp Black pepper ¡ 1 Turnip

Cut unpeeled eggplant into 1" cubes, sprinkle generously with salt and lay out on wire rack for 20 minutes, then drain and rinse.

2. Meanwhile cut chicken into large cubes. Heat 1 tablespoon of the

olive oil in 6–8 litre Dutch oven and sauté the chicken until opaque on both sides (a few minutes). Set aside.

3. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat again in the Dutch oven,

(no need to clean it, keep any chicken juices in there).

4. Add onion, garlic, and eggplant. Sauté over low heat until onion

is just tender, 5–10 minutes.

5. Add stock, cinnamon, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and

black pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

6. Peel turnip and dice the turnip, along with dicing the zucchini,

carrot, and bell pepper.

¡ 1 med Zucchini

7. Add the chicken and diced vegetables to Dutch oven.

¡ 1 Carrot

8. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

¡ ½ Red capsicum ¡ 3 med Tomatoes ¡ 1/2 Cup Raisins ¡ 1 Tbsp Parsley

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9. Dice the tomatoes and add them to the pan along with the raisins,

and parsley, pushing down lightly to be sure ingredients are covered by liquid, (adding a more liquid if necessary). Simmer covered for 15 minutes more.

10. Serve hot in deep soup bowls on top of rice, noodles, or couscous,

garnishing with a little fresh coriander.

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Calendar of Events Fresh State’s Annual Gala Ball 2020 — POSTPONED

Special General Meeting — POSTPONED

Annual General Meeting — Still planned for October.

No change at this stage.

Hort Connections 2020 — New Date: 7–9 June 2021

New event dates and times will be communicated in the near future. Thank you to all who have supported our events over the past years. We hope you are staying healthy and safe, if you have any questions about events, please email dee@freshstate.com.au.

Disclaimer Fresh State Ltd makes this magazine available on the understanding the users exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use.

Before relying on, or altering any business practices, users should carefully evaluate the accuracy, completeness and relevance of the information for their purpose and should obtain appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances.

This magazine contains views and recommendations that do not necessarily reflect the views of Fresh State Ltd. Fresh State does not in any circumstances accept responsibility for the accuracy or suitability or otherwise of any information published in Fresh State of Affairs. Fresh State Ltd specifically disclaims all and any liability for loss or damage of any nature whatsoever and however arising, whether due to accuracy, error or omission or any other cause.

In addition, by using the information in this magazine, each user waives and releases Fresh State, its staff and agents from any and all claims relating to the use of this document. In no event shall Fresh State Ltd be liable for any consequential damages resulting from using the information in Fresh State of Affairs. © Fresh State Ltd 2019 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior permission from Fresh State Ltd. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to: The Editor Fresh State of Affairs Magazine Store 36, Melbourne Market 35 Produce Drive, Epping, VIC 3076 23