Katanning’s Moojepin Foods claims national prize for outstanding innovation at Delicious. Produce Awards

A farm 20km east of Katanning has been recognised for outstanding Innovation at this year’s Delicious. Produce Awards in Sydney last month. In a remarkable triumph for sustainable agriculture, Moojepin Foods has been honoured with the award for its groundbreaking work in cultivating saltbush plants. Co-owners David Thompson and Lance McLeod expressed their elation over the award, which was judged by some of Australia’s lead chefs including Matt Moran, Matt Stone and Peter Gilmore, and emphasised their aspirations to use the recognition as a launching pad for future endeavours. “Feels pretty good and we’re pretty pumped,” Mr Thompson said. “We are really excited for what we’re doing and it’s nice to be recognised for that and this could be the start of a really big industry for WA.” Saltbush has the ability to thrive in arid and saline environments and Moojepin Foods has harnessed the potential of this resilient plant and is now revolutionising the agricultural sector. “At the moment the land is virtually unusable for conventional agriculture, so we’ve got to try and find a use for it. “Growing halophytes (saltbushes) for human consumption is a perfect fit because they’re perfectly adapted to grow in that environment.” “We are looking to go big,” Mr McLeod said. “We’ve got a lot of resources we can access, especially in WA. “We can try and tap into that pharmaceutical market, biofuels and the plant-based protein market. “But we need bigger industries to buy in, to grow or utilise more of this resource.” Moojepin Foods is the only nation’s credited distributor of the Seakiss Saltbush for human consumption, which is a prized commodity among leading restaurants. “The Seakiss is regulated by the CSIRO, so we have the exclusivity on that licence for human consumption,” Mr McLeod said. “It is a more palatable saltbush and a lot of restaurants use it as a garnish or a deep-fried alternative to chips. “We’re trying to add more value to it by drying the product to be sold on the shelf in grocery stores. Delicious. editor-in-chief Krysia Bonkowski said it was important to highlight primary producers who had a vision of improving environmental sustainability. “We want to discover the producers trailblazing in their production ethos, cultivation and wild-catch practices, and the top-quality produce it results in,” Ms Bonkowski said. “We must acknowledge the focus on environmental sustainability, provenance, species diversity, preservation and collaboration with their local community.”