00:00Good. Fruit stickers, they may seem so small, but they serve such a big purpose and so many
00:10reasons why we have stickers on our fruit. So when we look at consumer focused, those
00:17little stickers are actually helping us as consumers make really informed choices. So
00:23they're telling us what we're buying. An apple, as we know, is not just an apple. On screen
00:29there, you're seeing such a big choice. And particularly when it comes to, I know for me,
00:33red apples, trying to differentiate the difference between what is a Fuji or a pink lady. Those
00:41stickers also tell us where it was grown and whether it's Australian or imported. And it
00:47really matters when we get to the checkout. So we all are saying in the retail environment that
00:53we're using self-checkouts more and more. So that little sticker helps you choose the right
00:58product at the self-service checkout and to pay the right price so that the right price
01:03is actually going back to those that are growing fruit and vegetables. Those stickers also support
01:11food safety and traceability. So if there ever was to be a safety concern, those stickers help
01:18us trace the fruit right back to its source. And that's critical for public health and rapid
01:24response. And then those stickers help for planning and our future planning and what is next.
01:31So the data that the retailers collect from those stickers help us as an industry understand what
01:38consumers like, what they're buying, and that helps with future planting decisions. So we're helping
01:44farmers meet demand and reduce waste. And the last thing is when we're talking about waste,
01:51those little stickers mean they're actually reducing the need for bigger and more packaging. So without
01:58a sticker, some of our fruit and veg would have to be packed in a bag or wrapped to have that same
02:04information that's what is on that little sticker. So those stickers help us keep packaging to a
02:10minimal whilst giving consumers all the information that they actually need.
02:14But are these stickers biodegradable, compostable, Belinda, or not?
02:21Currently, what you're seeing in the supermarket, a lot of what is currently on your fruit is not
02:28biodegradable. But the great news is we are moving towards biodegradable. So compostable stickers,
02:37thanks to a lot of research and development over the last decades, they now exist. So that is
02:42fantastic. And our industry really welcomes a move to sustainability and moving away from single use
02:49plastics. So and what we're also seeing is a lot of trials. So for example, Zespri, so all your kiwi fruit,
02:58Zespri have committed to 100% of those stickers on the kiwi fruit being compostable stickers.
03:05But here, Belinda, do you understand the drive for stickers to disappear from fruit and veg? Many,
03:12as you've just said, are non-compostable, the plastic, and you know, they're annoying for shoppers to remove.
03:20They, they look, we get it. And we understand that those little stickers are not a favourite, but they
03:27are so important. I would dispute not everyone hates them. So my little nephew and the whole of his
03:35prep classroom seem to have a competition about who can collect the most of those little stickers
03:40and put them on their lunchbox. So, so that's great, because we actually need to encourage
03:45more kids to eat more fruit and veggies. But the move away from single use plastics and those little
03:52stickers, it's absolutely the right move. So to have a compostable sticker option is amazing. And there's
04:01so many other things under development as well. So this is really a great ground to start shifting the
04:08goalpost. So there is an understanding among your members that fruit stickers will disappear. It's just a
04:13matter of time. Well, they'll move to something different. So the South Australian pause on the
04:22the band of their, their stickers is actually a really good thing. And we're so thankful that
04:27the government has listened because this, this announcement brings South Australia in line
04:34with the rest of Australia. So industry, we are absolutely committed to reducing that single waste
04:41plastic and compostable stickers is definitely one option. What we're also seeing and the audience
04:51may have over Easter seeing some of their avocados etched with Easter Bunny and other little Easter
04:58themed things. That is, that is a new technology that we're trialing as well. So that laser etching
05:07is a different move away from stickers. But noting that something like that doesn't work for all products,
05:15but it's, it's all trial and error. And it's great to see innovation in our industry.
05:20Overall, Belinda, how are fruit and veggie farmers doing right now?
05:24Tough. It's, it's certainly been really hard. Everyone knows that we've been hit by various weather
05:33events from drought to floods and everything in between. Our growers are resilient, but there's only so much
05:40that they can take. This is another reason why we're so grateful that the South Australian government
05:46did listen because compostable stickers, they're an option, but we need more time and they cost
05:53twice as much. Our industry doesn't need more costs at the moment with everything that's been hit with.
05:59We're all experiencing cost of living and that has a huge cost on our growers as well.
06:05Well, they're being hit hard by rising energy costs, insurance, transportation and storage.
06:12So there is a few different solutions and I would encourage all of us to actually eat more fruit
06:20and veggies because drought and flood are one thing, but we're also seeing year on year a decline in us
06:29eating enough of our recommended fruit and vegetables. So I think as an industry and consumer,
06:35Australians, we need to get behind our growers and eat more fruit and vegetables.
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