This Week In The Market – 23 February 2021
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| In this week’s Market News: – International women’s event – How to protect your business from online fraud – Suspensions for face mask non-compliance Market News Face masks – over 100 official warnings issued Fitted face masks must be worn at all times in both indoor and outdoor locations at the Melbourne Market. To help ensure the safety and business continuity of the Melbourne Market, the MMA imposes penalties for those not wearing face masks or for those not following social distancing rules. Under Operating Rule 12(b), A Person on Market Land must comply with the OH&S Plan and all relevant OH&S Requirements at all times. Market Relations Officers are focussed on enforcing face mask rules, and there are currently over 100 market users with an official first warning for face mask non-compliance. Market users are subject to the following penalties when they do not comply with face mask and social distancing rules: 1st offence – Warning that is recorded in a Market user’s file 2nd offence – 24-hour suspension from the Market* 3rd offence – 48-hour suspension from the Market* 4th offence – 72-hour suspension from the Market* *Any suspension is effective from the next business day Market Relations Officers will also issue penalties ‘after the fact’ for non-compliance as part of their current review of CCTV footage. For the sake of everyone’s health, businesses and livelihoods, let’s work together, follow the rules and make sure we keep the Melbourne Market safe, open and operational. Questions Detailed information regarding COVID operational changes at the Market can be found at www.melbournemarket.com.au/melbourne-market-coronavirus-covid-19-response/.  Lunar New Year 2021 The Melbourne Market wishes our Asian community a Happy Lunar New Year with best wishes and good fortune throughout the year of the Ox. We hope you enjoy our scaled-down COVIDSafe Lunar New Year celebration making its way through the market this morning. Look out for some traditional music and sweet treats to acknowledge the event. International Women’s Day event  In recognition of International Women’s Day, LaManna Premier Group are hosting ‘Fresh Start’, an event celebrating women in the fresh produce industry, on Wednesday 10 March. The afternoon event will be held at the Melbourne Market along the Buyers’ Walk and is proudly supported by the MMA. With guests attending from all areas of the produce industry, it is sure to be an enjoyable afternoon of networking and food, with a panel of industry guest speakers who share their support for women in leadership. This is not an exclusively female event, and everyone is invited to attend. Should you wish to attend or sponsor the event, please reach out to anika.dobbie@lpgroup.com.au. How to protect your business from online fraud  Cybersecurity is a growing concern for many Australian businesses. It is important to know what you can do to reduce your risk of being targeted. Keep your personal information secure by making sure you use different passwords, especially for your e-mail accounts and bank accounts. The more difficult the password, the harder it is for others to crack. The minimum requirement for a strong password should be 8 characters, one number, one special character and one capital letter. Know who you are dealing with. If you are receiving e-mails from people you don’t know, or even people you do, but the messages seem out of character or suspicious, always check by getting in contact with the business or indivuial to make sure that it is actually them. Do not open any suspicious text, pop-up windows, links or attachments, as these can all be attempts of gaining access to your personal information. If you come across these, remember to delete these messages. Be mindful of any unusual payment requests or change in payment details. If a request comes through about new banking information, even from a trusted source, remember to always confirm with a phone call before doing anything. Please note that you should not use the phone number within the e-mail but instead search for the contact number online. You can gain more information on how you can protect yourself and your business by visiting Scam Watch. The MMA will never ask you to change the bank account you pay market charges into. If you ever receive a request asking that you change MMA banking details, please let us know immediately by contacting 9269 6100. Vale Martino Zoccali  The MMA and Market community offer condolences to the family of Martino Zoccali, who passed away peacefully at home last Wednesday morning. Martino started working in the markets in 1965; in 1971 he opened his own market stand in the grower section trading as M&T Zoccali, which is still currently trading at the Melbourne Market as Austfruit Wholesalers. The funeral for Martino will be held on Thursday 25th February at St Martin De Porres church in Avondale Heights. Rosary: 12.30pm Mass: 1.00pm Keilor Cemetery: 2.30pm  Get your store merchandised free of charge!  A better choice! is about to launch a national ‘Shop & Win’ promotion commencing in March. The promotion offers a weekly prize draw, encouraging consumers to shop at their local fruit and veg shop. As part of the campaign, there is a range of point of sale material including wobblers, posters, decals, signs and stickers for member stores to use in-store to promote the competition. A better choice! is offering members the use of a professional merchandiser, who will visit your store with the merchandise and complete the instal free of charge, making hassle-free and saving you time. If you would like to participate in this promotion and have A better choice! point of sale material installed by a merchandiser for free, then you must register. There are limited spots and merchandise packs available, so be quick! Click here to book today! If you would prefer to install point-of-sale yourself (ideal for regional stores) or would like electronic copies of the campaign for your online promotions, email abetterchoice@melbournemarket.com.au with your details. Wi-Fi outage The Melbourne Market free wi-fi service will be disrupted between 10.00 am and 6.00 pm on Friday 26 February due to the upgrading of firmware. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Fire Warden training  Business principals can nominate themselves, or a representative from their business, to attend a fire warden training course, free of charge. Those who attend the training will gain the skills needed to be a fire warden for their business in the event of an emergency. Email amanda.flannery@melbournemarket.com.au if you’d like to attend. When: Wednesday 3 March, 5.00- 6.00 am Where: Conference Room, Ground Floor, Administration Building Cost: Free of charge Industry News Seasonal Harvest Sign-on Bonus:  The Victorian Government is offering job seekers a bonus of almost $2,500 to take on seasonal harvest work on a Victorian farm. The government has committed $10 million for sign-on bonuses that will be split over two payments. It’s a great incentive for those who want to try their hand at picking and packing fruit and vegetables on farms and to boost employment for Victorian farmers. If you would like to find out more about the initiative, click here to download a flyer or read more on the ABC News website. New health star rating system ranks fruit juice below diet cola in shift to sugar-based grading  Food regulators have classed fruit juice as less healthy than diet cola under new guidelines confirming Australian health star ratings (HSR) on food packaging will focus more on sugar content. The decision to lower the health star rating for fruit juice, based on its sugar content, is a blow for fruit producers and left federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud infuriated. But nutritionists argue fruit juices should be rated according to their high levels of sugar and low levels of fibre, or how a drink compares to a piece of fruit. Read more on ABC News. Melbourne Market Job Board  Do you have a vacancy to fill in your business? Email submissions@melbournemarket.com.au for the position to be placed on our online job board. Looking for a new role? Check out the online job board via the button below. View full online job board Ask the MMA If you’ve got a question for the MMA email it to: submissions@melbournemarket.com.au. Follow us  |
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