NATIONAL FOOD WASTE SUMMIT
Program
20 November 2017
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Convention Place, South Wharf, Melbourne
AGENDA
12.15 pmRegistration
Main Foyer 1, Ground Floor Convention Centre
1.00 pmLunch
Launch of the National Food Waste Strategy by the Minister for the Environment and Energy, the Hon Josh Frydenberg MP
Level 2, Rooms 203/204
2.40 pmLunch concludes, attendees move to Plenary 1
3.00 pmWelcome and housekeeping
Master of Ceremonies Ms Annabel Crabb
Plenary 1
3.05 pmFood waste and the circular economy
Associate Professor Bernadette McCabe
Principal Scientist (Bioresources and Waste Utilisation), National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, University of Southern Queensland
Questions and answers
3.30 pmSpotlight on building a dream
Mr Angus Harris
Co-Chief Executive Officer, Harris Farm Markets
3.50 pmHarnessing food waste—case studies
Mr Dylan Gower, Convenor, Cowra Low Emissions Action Network
(CLEAN Cowra Inc)
Ms Kirstin Coote, Team Leader Urban Services, City of Melbourne
Questions and answers
4.20 pmPanel discussion—from farm to plate
Primary production:Dr Barry McGookin, General Manager Innovation, Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL)
Manufacturing/distribution: Ms Kaelene McLennan, Corporate Affairs, Sustainability and Communications Manager, Simplot Australia Pty Ltd
Retail/food service: Mr Bryan Skepper, General Manager, Sydney Fish Market Pty Ltd
Hospitality: Mr Robert Pascoe, Managing Director, Closed Loop Environmental Solutions
Pty Ltd
Question and answers
5.30 pmClosing remarks
Department of the Environment and Energy
6.00-7.00 pmPost-event networking function
Level 2, Foyer 2.5
PRESENTERS
Associate Professor Bernadette McCabe
Principal Scientist (Bioresources and Waste Utilisation), National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, University of Southern Queensland
Bernadette is a principal scientist with the National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture at the University of Southern Queensland. Bernadette is an Advance Queensland Mid-Career Research Fellow working in partnership with NH Foods Australia, Oakey Beef Exports. She has expertise in the monitoring of wastewater, biogas production and assessment of biosolids as fertiliser replacement.
Bernadette collaborates at an international level as National Team Leader representing Australia in the International Energy Agency (IEA) Bioenergy program Task 37: Energy from Biogas. IEA Task 37 is an international working group made up of 13 member countries that exchange global best practice trends in biogas production. Through this role she has established a wide network of national and international research, industry and government contacts.
Bernadette has also been active in the scholarship of bioscience learning and teaching and was awarded a 2011 Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) citation for outstanding contributions to student learning. She is also committed to promoting science in schools and has been involved in ongoing school partnerships through CSIRO’s STEM Professional in Schools program since 2007.
Mr Angus Harris
Co-Chief Executive Officer, Harris Farm Markets
As a Co-Chief Executive Officer and a proud second generation member of his family business, Harris Farm Markets, Angus is primarily responsible for Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions and E-Commerce for the Harris Farm Markets Group of Companies. The Group comprises 24 fresh food retail outlets throughout NSW, two wholesale fruit and vegetable market agencies, a wholesale fruit and vegetable buying operation and an export business.
Prior to commencing at Harris Farm Markets in 2003, Angus spent five years in the Banking and Finance Industry in Australia and overseas as a Quantitative Equities Analyst. He hold a Bachelor of Commerce (University of Sydney) and a Master of Applied Finance (Macquarie University), and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Before becoming a Co-Chief Executive Officer with two of his brothers, Tristan and Luke, his roles in Harris Farm Markets have included Chief Information Officer and Chief Financial Officer.
Mr Dylan Gower
Principal of d-CONSTRUCT architects; Convenor Cowra Low Emissions Action Network (CLEAN Cowra Inc)
Dylan is principal of d-CONSTRUCT architects and a director of the CORRIDOR project, a not-for-profit organisation currently based in Central West NSW.
He is co-founder of CLEAN Cowra Inc, a community enterprise developing a unique model for a regional Biomass to energy project, utilising agricultural residues and organic waste for resource conversion as a decentralised energy option.
For over twenty years in practice, he has been advocating for Ecological Sustainable Development, highlighting its principles in relation to urban and regional environments. Conducting ongoing research, he continues to explore further models of design thinking and place-making benefitting Australian communities.
Awarded the Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship by the NSW Architects Registration Board, which Dylan completed in 2009 with a report called “Fleecing the Land”, addressing design and sustainability in regional Australia.
In 2015 he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to further his research in the role of design thinking in regional community initiatives, such as the CLEAN Biomass development and the CORRIDOR project. Research locations included Japan, Canada, Finland and Sweden.
Ms Kirstin Coote
Team Leader Urban Services, City of Melbourne
Kirstin is currently Team Leader of Urban Services at the City of Melbourne. She has over 20 years’ waste experience including a three year stint in the UK working with all levels of government and private industry. Having worked in both operational and strategic roles she brings a broad viewpoint on resource recovery.
Over the past 10 years, Kirstin has been managing the waste collection and street cleaning contracts, while also assessing planning applications in relation to better waste management into the future for Melbourne. She has an infectious passion for learning from others and sharing the experiences of her waste ventures to date.
Kirstin is Vice President of the Waste Management Association of Australia (Vic Branch) and a fully qualified horse riding coach.
Dr Barry McGookin
General Manger Innovation, Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL)
A Food Technologist with a PhD in Food Science, Barry is an innovation manager with 30 years in the food manufacturing industry and has held senior technical, innovation and commercial leadership roles in major food companies.
For the last six years, Barry has been connecting businesses to technical capabilities that provide commercial solutions to sustainability and food science challenges. Barry is a member of the Health, Nutrition and Food Safety Horticulture Australia Expert Advisory Committee and a member of the South Australian Advanced Food Manufacturing grants review panel.
Currently, Barry is leading initiatives across the whole Australian Agri-Food business value chain to provide sufficient future resources and strengthen idea-market success both domestically and overseas.
Ms Kaelene McLennan
Corporate Affairs, Sustainability & Communications Manager, Simplot Australia Pty Ltd
Kaelene was appointed as Corporate Affairs, Sustainability and Communications Manager for Simplot in January 2011.
She began her career as a lawyer at Allens Arthur Robinson and started working for Simplot as legal counsel in 2005. She has championed the cause of sustainable business throughout her career and is dedicated to her role acting as change agent for Simplot.
Kaelene has been instrumental in launching Simplot’s sustainability program which includes a commitment to reducing energy intensity by 25% over 10 years, halving Simplot’s carbon emissions and partnering with WWF to achieve more sustainable seafood. A key highlight of the program is the national partnership Simplot has entered into with Foodbank, aimed at achieving a zero food waste to landfill target.
Kaelene has a Bachelor of Laws and is a member of the Australian Food and Grocery Council’s sustainable practices committee.
Mr Bryan Skepper
General Manager, Sydney Fish Market Pty Ltd
Bryan is the General Manager of Sydney Fish Market (SFM), the largest seafood market in the Southern Hemisphere and one of Australia’s iconic tourism sites.
Bryan has worked in the seafood industry for more than 40 years and over this time has amassed a long list of accomplishments and is currently driving the realisation of SFM’s vision to build a new Sydney Fish Market.
He is Chairman of NSW Seafood Industry Council, a former Director of the Australian Seafood Co-operative Research Centre and Company Secretary of OceanWatch Australia.
Bryan holds professional qualifications in accounting, human resource management and environmental auditing.
Mr Robert Pascoe
Managing Director, Closed Loop Environmental Solutions Pty Ltd
Robert is the founder and Managing Director of Closed Loop, an Australian company providing comprehensive environmental solutions across industries including aviation, events, hospitality and health.
Robert appreciates that businesses need to be commercially viable to survive in the short term and believes that environmental and social sustainability considerations are just as critical to a business’ long term viability. Over the past twenty years, Robert has been helping large and small businesses implement strategies to successfully tackle these challenges together.
He is particularly passionate about waste and regards it as a valuable resource that we shouldn’t simply throw away. In recent years, he has invested in technology for onsite composting of food waste which reduces the amount of organic waste sent to landfill and in place produces a nutrient rich soil conditioner.
Robert is currently the Head of the Banksia Environmental Foundation’s Advisory Board. He is also serving as a Director of the Sydney Swans Australian Rules Football Club, is a founding Director of the social enterprise City Harvest, and is Deputy Chairman of Australia’s largest outdoor education provider, The Outdoor Education Group.
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