Find out the foreign innovations Australia thinks will boost sales of its produce in Asia

Fresh vegetable snack packs, compostable packaging, peel-and-reseal lidding, living salads and QR codes on packaging are among innovations in other countries that Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA) has identified as likely to help Australian growers differentiate their produce in the Asian market.

A shortlist of ten such innovaions was developed as part of research conducted by Euromonitor International and funded by a Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA) project in collaboration with AUSVEG. The goal was to pinpoint new, relevant and commercially viable solutions.

Project Leader Umesh Madhavan said the shortlisted innovations are highly relevant to Australian growers “looking to differentiate themselves from lower‐priced, locally grown Asian produce.”

““New infrastructural developments and the modernisation of grocery retailing channels, coupled with rising consumer affluence across Asia, will create a retail and operations environment more conducive to helping Australian growers benefit from the adoption of select vegetable innovations,” he said.

HIA CEO John Lloyd said identifying key innovations that will add superior value to Australian produce is one way of increasing international trade opportunities for Australian horticulture.

The shortlist includes:

• fresh vegetable snack packs;
• environmentally friendly compostable packaging;
• peel-and-reseal lidding films to enhance produce freshness;
• living salads (pots of growing baby salad leaves ready to be freshly harvested at home and picked prior to consumption);
• and QR codes on packaging to inform consumers of the different food varieties and indicate the origins of the produce. 

Read the HIA press release: Driving the competitiveness of Aussie vegetables in Asian markets