PepsiCo's Quaker Oats to set up Western Australia oats advisory board

PepsiCo, owners of Quaker Oats, has expressed its intentions of setting up a Western Australian sustainable oats advisory group to help direct investment that promote climate-friendly grain growing in the state.

Quaker Oats operates a processing plant at Forrestfield, a suburb of Perth, WA which sources oats grown across the state.

According to Quaker Oats supply chain manager, Chris Maughan, the company wants to engage with growers before making more investments in the industry.

But Maughan admitted that they need to be guided by the industry as they are not the experts.

The oats sustainability ag advisory group would include interested and engaged growers, researchers, and anyone who wants to contribute to the future of oat production in Western Australia.

The aim of the advisory group would be to recommend opportunities for investment in different projects and trials as well as suggest ways PepsiCo could further advocate for the oat industry in WA.

While PepsiCo has funding resources, these are allocated on a project-by-project basis and there is significant global competition for these funds.