Fresh State Issue 50

5 – Kids in the Market!

Check out these kids living a day in the ‘work life’ of mum and dad!

6 – Evacuation Confusion

There seems to be a lot of confusion around evacuations, see why.

10 – Fresh Summit 2019

Read Jason’s thoughts on the 2019 Fresh Summit.

12 – Here’s to 50 years!

Robinson’s Fresh Solutions celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

13 – Combat Sleepiness

It’s something that everyone struggles with, check out some tips that could help you!

14 – The worst disease that you’ve never heard of DEBRA Australia raises money for a great cause, read more about what they do and why Fresh State supports them.

18 – Don’t forget about your Forklifts!

Remember your Forklifts as the year draws to a close!

22 – Eco-friendly and cost-effective? Too good to be true!

Is eco-friendly packaging the way to go?

CEO: Jason Cooper jason@freshstate.com.au

Editor/Advertising: Dee Sherry dee@freshstate.com.au Photography: Dee Sherry

24 – Introducing FC –the solution to your employment headaches

An HR Helpline to provide advice on the legal minefield that you face as an employer.

28 – Avocados stuffed with quinoa and cherry tomato

Check out this interesting recipe for your Christmas table!

President’s Message

On behalf of Fresh State, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It’s been tough at times, but we must all congratulate ourselves on completing another great year. As business may not slow down during this time, I hope everyone has a well-deserved break and celebrate coming into the New Year with friends and family.

Once again, this edition of Fresh State of Affairs is a Bumper issue filled with Christmas messages. Although we want to keep the holiday spirit throughout the magazine, some pressing matters needed to be discussed. Topics include the Evacuation Policy at the Market, how to combat sleepiness, forklift safety and servicing, and many more. Of course, feel-good stories are always present in our magazine, see pictures from the ‘Kids in the Market’ day and an insight into the 2019 Fresh Summit. Enjoy the last Fresh State of Affairs Magazine for 2019! We look forward to coming back in the new year with more exciting topics for you to read.

Shane Schnitzler President Fresh State Ltd.

The team at Fresh State would like to wish the entire market community a

Safe and Happy Christmas and New Year

Kids in the Market!

For a few days during September, parents had the opportunity to bring their children to the Market. Kids were able to live a day in the ‘work-life’ of mum or dad, and all had fun taking rides in buggies and

Sometimes the working hours can make it challenging to spend a lot of quality time with your children, so these few days were a great way to show your kids why you leave in the middle of the night. Thanks to everyone for creating a safe environment for people of

Photo credit: Lauren Kitchener.

Evacuation confusion

When the evacuation siren goes off, it generally means you must leave the Market or meet at the evacuation point, right? But why is there so much confusion about what we should be doing when the alarm goes off? If we’re evacuating, why is the Melbourne Market Authority letting trucks in?

A couple of months ago, the evacuation alarm was activated within the Market and it was not a drill. Though there was very little information communicated by the MMA, there was a suspected store fire on the south side of the Market. Luckily when the evacuation occurred, only a few market users were left on site; however, for those who were present, it was clueless walk out of our offices, across the car park, and towards the MMA building.

Without any description of what type of evacuation was being played out, several employees questioned if it was even safe to walk across an open carpark to the evacuation spot. No matter how unlikely an attack is, without any information being given, a threatening person plays on one’s mind.

Once we arrived at the meeting spot, a Fire Truck rushed through Gate 1 and the situation seemed a lot worse than many thought. However, only minutes later, while the evacuation siren was still going, trucks from outside of the Market simply swiped their passes and drove in. Some even drove towards where the suspected fire was.

If an evacuation is occurring, shouldn’t the MMA be keeping people out of the Market, not letting them in? Even while trucks were driving in, a second Fire Truck showed up and made its way towards the south end of the Market.

Although the Fire Warden training took place late October, there still seems to be some confusion about the actual procedure. The situation didn’t get better several weeks later. Once again, the evacuation alarm was alerted throughout the Market due to another suspected fire. The communication didn’t improve, with market users left to their own devices with no real direction from the MMA. People congregated at the emergency assembly points awaiting instruction. Without any information from the MMA, the alarms stopped, and tenants returned to their offices. Over

thirty minutes later, after many were already seated back in their offices, it was announced over the PA that it was safe to return to their buildings. With confusion apparent from the start, some tenants refused to leave their buildings at the beginning of the evacuation, and some MMA staff provided direction without any fire warden identification, which was later found out to be wrong information.

Disappointingly, the MMA didn’t get it right this time and unsurprisingly sent out a message to tenants in the following days, criticising them on their actions. The tenants would have appreciated a betterbalanced response.

Is it time to set up a post-incident review process and include tenants? Should there be a better guideline in place for evacuations? After a cancelled drill in November, we hope that better practices can be put in place in 2020, to ensure the safety of all at the Market.

Christmas messages

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the team at LaManna Premier Group

Wishing all of our customers and friends a Merry Christmas & a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Thank you for your support in 2019.

Our Story...

We’ve been seeking out the world’s tastiest fruit and veggies since 1978. And when we find the absolute best, we bring them home. To grow, perfect, share and enjoy. perfection.com.au

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Fresh Summit 2019

The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit 2019, held at the Anaheim Convention Center, California, by all accounts, was a huge success. This year, the attendees agreed and rated it as the best event that the organisation has done in its history.

More than twelve hundred companies shared the exhibition floor to display their products. The intense commercial activity was highlighted with a buzz of activity between sellers and potential buyers. The event this year drew a record attendance of nearly 24,000 attendees, including our very own Fresh State President, Shane Schnitzler, and CEO, Jason Cooper. “The event was as much a Consumer Show as a Trade Show. The experience was immersive, with exhibitors bringing their produce ‘to life,’ with many stands using chefs to cook the produce to demonstrate the end product for a consumer”, said Fresh State CEO, Jason Cooper.

Each year Fresh State gives out the Young Marketeer award, voted on by the market community. This award includes the opportunity to attend the PMA Fresh Summit, for a young person who contributes their time and talents for the good of the industry, and is willing to encourage others to participate. Phil Stilo received the award in 2018 and attended the event this year.

One of our own Melbourne Market businesses attended the Fresh Summit this year as an exhibitor.

Pinnacle Fresh, had their Blood Oranges on display, along with some of their ‘Dracula Blood Orange Margarita’s’. Jordan Bain from Pinnacle Fresh said, “Pinnacle Fresh has invested into the US for the last five to six years. Being an exhibitor at this year’s Fresh Summit is an excellent opportunity to expose our brand and connect with stakeholders in the US supply chain”.

With a primary display theme of citrus, Jordan believes Pinnacle Fresh has created a brand that allows the retailers to develop instore theatre in a commoditised category like citrus. “Generally, retailers struggle to do anything with citrus, but by creating a branded theme backed up by quality Australian citrus, Pinnacle fresh has given retailers the opportunity to promote a wickedly healthy offer for their consumers”. This was Pinnacle Fresh’s second year exhibiting at PMA Fresh Summit and will be attending the 2020 event.

Next year’s PMA Fresh Summit will be held in October 2020, in Dallas, Texas.

Here’s to 50 years!

Robinson’s Fresh Solutions celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Tuesday, 19th of November 2019. Founded by Eric Robinson in the late 1960s, Robinson’s began business unloading and delivering fresh produce to the Melbourne markets. Today the business has grown to become a leader in the fresh produce supply chain and one of the most trusted logistics and unloading companies in the Market. Doug Thurwood, from Lindsay Australia, said, “Lindsay transport has had a long association with the Robinson family since 2003. To this day, they have provided us with unloading and fumigation excellence to our valued market customers”.

Many attendees praised the event and said it was great to see the three generations of Robinson’s family there celebrating. Attendee, Mick Hume, from Montagues said, “50 good reasons for the celebrations and festivities, well done and congratulations on the success of building Robinson Fresh Solutions to what it is today”. Employee, Siobhan Grey, said, “It was great to be a part of Robinsons 50th Anniversary celebration. Hearing the history of the company and seeing the number of people that deal with Robinson’s and who want to participate in celebrating them just made us all feel very lucky to be a part of such a special company”.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Combat sleepiness

Are you fighting with yourself to stay awake? Because of the working hours here at the market, it is not uncommon to struggle with fatigue or staying awake. Fresh State wants to help find your way to combat sleepiness and make sure everyone is operating machinery under safe conditions. Here are a few tips!

We know you’ve heard it before, but one of the biggest helpers to combat sleepiness is to get an adequate amount of sleep before you start your shift. Most adults need at least seven to nine hours of sleep every day. With shift work, it can be tricky to find the time but if you ensure you get at least the minimum amount of sleep, it will dramatically improve your workability.

Set a consistent wake-up time. The best thing to do is to make a consistent routine to follow. People who have problems with sleepiness are often advised to wake up at the same time every day, including the weekends. This tip may not be for everyone as it can be very difficult to keep a routine on the weekend, however, if you’re struggling with sleepiness it could be something to try.

We all know keeping good healthy habits will ensure a fresh, energized body. Eating a healthy

breakfast and lunch, and eating them on time is a good way to combat sleepiness. Eating a healthy meal rather than grabbing a coffee and doughnut in your downtime, prevents energy deficits during your working hours. Regular mealtimes help regulate your circadian rhythms, which is an internal clock that cycles between sleepiness and alertness at regular intervals.

Exercising is always a good way to keep the body energised. Regular exercise offers many benefits for sleep, exercising generally makes it easier to fall asleep. Exercise always keeps your thinking sharp during the day or in this case, night.

These are just a few ways to try combat sleepiness. Finding the right way for you is always the challenge but we hope at least one helps. Let us know if any work for you or if you have some great tricks to share with everyone!

The worst disease that you’ve never heard of

For a few years now, Fresh State and many other businesses around the market have been supporting DEBRA Australia. DEBRA raises money for a great cause in support of helping those living with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). DEBRA Family Support Coordinator, Simone Baird, tells us more about DEBRA and EB.

Above: Eliza.

EB is a rare disease whereby the skin blisters and peels at the slightest touch. Affecting all three layers of skin and internal mucosal linings, EB has been likened to living with third-degree burns. It’s exceptionally painful, and individuals must endure three-hour bleach baths and extreme dressing changes every second day to protect and medicate their wounds.

DEBRA Australia, a not-for-profit, volunteer-based organisation is working tirelessly to support those living with EB. The organisation does not receive any government funding, yet is trying to meet the needs and improve the lives of those living with EB. Research is needed to develop therapies that address the symptoms, including severe scarring, infections, and the development of squamous cell carcinoma.

Quick Facts

DEBRA raises funds for families and individuals living with EB. It delivers support via invaluable programs such as the Family Support program, in-home nursing support, and EB nurse program to facilitate clinics for patients. The family support program offers various types of support in the form of medical supplies, aids and equipment, respite, home modifications, and quality of life.

Through the help of Fresh State and its members, DEBRA Australia can support research activities and educate health professionals nationally. It also wouldn’t be possible for DEBRA to deliver support without donations from events such as the Melbourne Market Golf day or without having loyal supporters like Fresh State, the MMA, and the Lions Club onboard.

§ 1,000 people in Australia are living with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB)

§ Over 500,000 people have Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) worldwide

§ Skin blisters and peels at the slightest touch

§ Likened to living with third-degree burns

§ Worst disease that you’ve never heard of

§ There are three different forms of EB, and in most severe cases life is often cut short due to skin cancers and secondary complications

§ In 2018/19 the family support program supported 232 applications and assisted families in 10 clinics across Australia and also within their homes

For more information, please visit debra.org.au

Above: Lola.

Above: John.

MELBOURNE MARKET CHARITY GOLF DAY

Save the date

13th March, 2020

Heidelberg Golf Course

SUPPORT THOSE LIVING WITH EB

All proceeds go to DEBRA Australia

Christmas messages

Merry Christmas

The team at Gazzola Farms sincerely thank you for your ongoing support through the year. We wish you and yours a very happy holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

The Market Lions Club, Fresh State and Melbourne Market Authority make a presentation of $110,000 to DEBRA Australia.

Left to right: Dom Dimattina – President Lions Club, Jason Cooper – CEO Fresh State, David Whichelo – COO Market Authority, Joe Amalfi – Vice President Fresh State, Simone Baird – Debra Foundation, Pat Galle – Director Lions Club, Mick Sgro – Director Lions Club

Don’t forget about your Forklifts!

As the end of 2019 draws closer and closer, we all start renewing ourselves, ready for the start of a new year. While rejuvenating ourselves for 2020 is a must, we need to remember to give our trusty equipment a refresh as well.

Just like cars and trucks, heavy machinery, such as forklifts, play a big part in running a business here at the Melbourne Market. Servicing your forklifts is a necessary task that should be done at least every three months or 300 hours, whichever comes first. The end of the year approaching is a great reminder to book in for your next service.

Why is it necessary to get your forklift serviced?

A forklift, which is not regularly serviced, creates unsafe machinery for the operator and a dangerous environment for other workers.

Oil, tyres, fluid levels, and brakes are a few of many things that need to be regularly checked to make sure the forklift is at a high standard and can operate safely. Avoid that unexpected fault, which could lead to higher servicing costs and can impact day to day business tasks, leading to a loss in revenue. New forklifts also may have electronic parts that need to be checked to avoid any malfunctions. If a service is carried out too late or if parts on a forklift aren’t checked properly, it can become expensive and time-

consuming. This result wastes a lot of operational time, ultimately spending a lot of money.

Here are few tips from the Toyota team here at the market:

§ Please remember to conduct an inspection on your forklift daily (before each shift) and never operate a forklift in need of repairs.

§ Forklift operators must be trained and certified to drive a forklift.

§ Always know the capacity of the forklift by observing the serial plate and never exceed it.

§ Please ensure you secure and stabilise your loads and always drive carefully and slowly.

§ Remember to always take extra precautions for pedestrians around you.

Please come and see the Toyota team at EFS3 if you have any questions.

Fresh State is currently working with other Markets around Australia to create a National Forklift Challenge. Keep an eye out for more details to come!

WISHING OUR CUSTOMERS, GROWERS, AND THE MARKET COMMUNITY A SAFE AND HAPPY FESTIVE SEASON

Eco-friendly and cost-effective?

Too good to be true!

More and more stores are adopting eco-friendly packaging to sell their fruit and veggies in. Compostable packaging is a great initiative to express your awareness for the environment; however, does it cost more to do so?

After looking at many sources, the answer seems to be no. Changing packaging over to compostable or ecofriendly materials may save a business more money in the long run.

According to online platforms, eco-friendly packaging heightens consumer interest. Being environmentally cautious has become an increasingly popular trend; over 50 percent of shoppers would pay more for environmentally friendly packaged items. A display of being ecologically aware creates specific brand awareness as well. Consumers are always looking out for popular trends in society. As companies tap into the environmentally cautious bandwagon, consumers connect that brand to that trend and are more likely to buy.

But to answer the question on everyone’s mind, how much will it cost my business to change over to ecofriendly packaging? Overall there are many different answers to this question. A change like this may vary

from business to business. However, compostable items use less packaging overall, which ultimately may lower the cost of manufacturing. When products weigh less due to the use of less material, shipping costs may decrease, and the number of units able to fit in a truck may increase.

More and more companies around the market are jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon. G Ferlazzo & Co have changed their produce items to be packed in compostable packaging. “Australia is one of the highest producers of waste per head in the world. Our drive to supply fresh fruit and veggies in compostable packaging comes from our priority to reduce landfill, while not compromising convenience”.

Every business will have to do their own research to decide if eco-friendly packaging is better for them. However, we will always know that one of the significant perks of changing to the eco-friendly option is the benefit to the environment.

Introducing FC The solution to your employment headaches

Fresh State has engaged FC Business Solutions (FC) to provide Fresh State members with an HR Helpline to provide advice on the legal minefield that you face as an employer. They can offer you strategies and advice on how to hire, manage, develop and, if necessary, move on employees.

Author: Alexandra Giudice, FC Business Solutions

The HR Helpline that FC offers to members can provide advice in a variety of situations. For example, how would you handle these problems?

§ A long-term employee is no longer working out; how do you avoid an Unfair Dismissal claim?

§ An employee claims a teammate is bullying them, what do you do?

§ You want to change the working hours of an employee – can you just do that? Do you need to consult them?

§ An employee has told you that he/she is suffering from depression – what is your response and responsibility?

§ An outsider has told you that one of your employees is dealing with drugs. What do you do?

§ A valued employee is pregnant – what are your obligations with maternity/paternity leave and how do you replace them while still complying with legislation?

§ An employee is consistently late. You want to keep them, but you want to improve their behaviour. How do you performance manage them while still covering yourself if you need to move them on?

As well as the HR Helpline to solve your employment headaches, FC will be providing a suite of templates, tools, and documents to help you with a range of common employee management tasks. These will include:

Guide to performance management, including:

§ Performance improvement template

§ Performance review template

§ Training plan template

Guide to terminating employment, including in the case of:

§ Resignation by employee

§ Redundancy

§ Misconduct

§ Unlawful termination

Guide to Employment Agreements and Modern Awards:

§ Recruitment process guide, including:

§ Position description templates

§ Job ad examples

§ Employment application template

§ Interview questions

§ Reference check template

Corina Vucic, Director of FC leads a team of experts across all areas of business. “We are really looking forward to supporting FSL and all of the members in providing informed, practical advice when managing their employees.”

Christmas messages

Merry Christmas

Wishing All Our Customers a Safe and Happy Holiday Season

The team at Ferrinda Fresh would like to wish you a

very Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

Merry Christmas to the market community

Wishing you and your family health, happiness, peace and prosperity this Christmas and in the coming New Year.

The Melbourne Market Authority wishes the Market Community a safe and prosperous festive season and New Year

Christmas Recipe

At Christmas we go crazy looking for original ideas to put on the table, but often something simple can be the solution. I have the perfect appetizer for you - avocados stuffed with quinoa and cherry tomatoes, and a prawn to finish the dish off. Quinoa is increasingly popular due to it high nutritional value. It doesn’t contain gluten and it suitable for vegans. The best thing is it’s really easy to cook (similar to rice). The mixture of avocado, quinoa and cherry tomatoes is very refreshing. In addition, I love to mix in cooked prawns, the result will not only taste spectacular, it will look stunning on the Christmas table.

Ingredients

¡ 4 ripe avocados

¡ 100 gm quinoa

¡ 300 ml water or vegetable stock

¡ 20 red and yellow cherry tomatoes

¡ Half lemon juice

¡ 4 prawns (optional)

¡ Fresh parsley or cilantro

Dressing

¡ Extra virgin olive oil

¡ Salt

¡ Ground black pepper

Method

1. Rinse the quinoa under running water until the water runs clear.

2. Add the quinoa to a saucepan with hot water or vegetable stock (three parts of stock to one part quinoa). Cook over medium to low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until the seeds open. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

3. Scoop the flesh from the avocados and reserve the shells.

4. Mash the flesh with a fork and mix in the chopped cherry tomatoes.

5. Season with salt and pepper and add olive oil and lemon. Mix well.

6. Fill the avocado shells and place a peeled shrimp on top (leaving the tail for decoration).

7. Sprinkle chopped parsley over the avocado with a drizzle of olive oil.

Author: Chef Orielo

Christmas messages

Thank you to our customers and growers for all your support throughout the year. Wishing everyone a happy festive season!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the team at Morco Fresh

Christmas messages

TO ALL OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS, WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A SAFE NEW YEAR.

would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and thank you for your continued support.

The

Melbourne Market Credit Service team

Calendar of Events

Wednesday, 25th of December

— Christmas Day, public holiday

Thursday, 26th of December

— Boxing Day, public holiday

Tuesday, 31st of December

— New Year’s Eve

Wednesday, 1st of January

— New Year’s Day

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