The South Australian food industrry will partake in the 11th annual Premier's Food Awards next month.

This year's finalists in all categories come from the city, Adelaide Hills, Limestone Coast, Eyre Peninsula and Riverland, and have been recognised for outstanding achievement and excellence in categories ranging from new products to innovation, export, workforce and environmental sustainability.


The Awards will culminate with a green themed gala dinner and presentation hosted by Premier Mike Rann (pictured) on Friday November 14 at the new Goyder Pavilion at Adelaide Showground.

Finalists in the Rural Solutions SA Services to Industry Award are: Adelaide Showground Farmers Market; SA Freight Council Inc;and Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn Fishermen's Association.

The Adelaide Showground Farmers Market began in 2006 and each week offers a unique insight into SA's food industry, and easy access to an extensive range of fresh and tasty local produce. Owned and operated by the community, for the community, it supports small family farms, agricultural diversity and consumer choice. The marketplace environment also helps to build stronger communities with improved social, economic and health outcomes.

It provides a unique business incubation service to new and diverse food businesses in SA by providing a marketing, promotional and cost effective business support umbrella by exposing the businesses to over 3000 customers every week.

Project manager Zannie Flanagan said this direct contact with customers allows these businesses to tell their story and build a loyal customer base, providing a very cost effective market research opportunity that is often outside small business capability.

SA Freight Council Inc continues to seek improved efficiency along the logistics chain, helping to ensure SA's valuable produce maintains its prime quality from "paddock to plate". With more than 50 association members it represents all branches of the transport, export and logistics industries. A major focus of its work is how to manage the forecast doubling of SA's freight volume by 2020.

Since 1997 the council has convened an industry Cold Chain and Quality Working Group which has developed a variety of industry resources (wallcharts, pocket guides, checklists and DVD's and the Perishable Handling for Export Guide) designed to assist the logistics industry to lift its performance quality. It also assists industry in general to liaise with their logistics service providers.

Representing 42 licence holders, the Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn Fishermen's Association provides strategic advice on industry development, marketing, fisheries management and promotional opportunities. It aims to promote and safeguard the industry for the future, by encouraging training and education of its members.

It also has a very clear policy of ecologically sustainable development and supporting long-term management of the resource. The association plays a fundamental ‘co-management' role in fishery management and research for the Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn Fisheries, in collaboration with PIRSA and SARDI.

This co-management role and the Association's innovative application of fisheries management and research have set standards and benchmarks which other fisheries have followed, not only in South Australia but internationally as well.