Scottsdale food facility shuts

May 8, 2024

By Rachel Williams

Forager Food Co’s Scottsdale facility has shut its doors after the Federal Government’s Defence, Science and Technology Group didn’t renew the business’ site lease.

Forager Food Co CEO John Ranicar said five staff were affected by the decision, with three relocating to Forager’s Western Junction site and two casual staff deciding against a move.

The George St site had been home to the company’s ready-meal manufacturing facility, which produced the Campers Pantry range of trail-ready meals and emergency supply rations for Antarctic ships.

“It was a great little factory and we would have been happy to stay on if we were given the opportunity,” Mr Ranicar said.

Forager had originally signed a two-year lease to utilise the kitchen facility on the department site and then signed a one-year extension, which expired on May 2.

The kitchen used by Forager neighbours a Department of Defence facility where DSTG scientists are, according to its website, “developing and evaluating an eat-on-the-go, supplementary food bar for the ADF, with a focus on provision of adequate energy, micronutrients and gut health”.

The department was contacted for comment about what the future of the site might be.

Mr Ranicar said the company had never supplied the Defence Department with food products, despite submitting two tenders for ration packs, which were won by a New Zealand business for the last decade.

“We have applied for that twice and not been successful and there has never been an agreement that they would procure product,” Mr Ranicar said.

“When we went into the lease the whole idea was to transfer the IP to retain capability to make freeze dried meals. There is no demand for freeze dried produce with Defence, but the idea was we could ramp up to meet demand if we needed to.”

Bass Liberal MHR Bridget Archer said she would be speaking with the Minister for Defence when she returns to Canberra for the Federal Budget next week.

“It is very disappointing when regional jobs are lost like this,” Ms Archer said.

“The New Zealand decision for ration packs was disappointing off the back off the Government’s big announcement of supporting Australian-made.

“There has been a steady decline in local manufacturing and I will be following it up when I return to Canberra because we need investment in industry in areas like Scottsdale to create regional jobs.”