Project to probe packaging for pipis

The South Australian government has awarded a $12,333 grant to a project to investigate the development of new packaging techniques to extend the shelf-life of the state's pipis, also known as cockles or clams.

The project, by the South Australian Research and Development Institute, aims to investigate the use of packaging to open up new interstate and international retail and food service opportunities for pipis, which are currently only sold fresh on the domestic market.

The funding, announced by the state's minister for science and information economy, Grace Portolesi, was awarded as part of the Innovation Voucher Program, a South Australian scheme to support innovative local businesses.

"The new packaging will help South Australian fisheries maintain their reputation for fresh, high-quality and reasonably priced seafood," Portolesi said.

"This project will also help reduce waste in the fishery, increase the sustainability of harvests and improve environmental performance."

Tom Robinson, a pipi harvester and marketer from Goolwa, South Australia, says research is being done to see whether techniques such as modified atmosphere packaging can be applied to pipis.

He says consumers are buying more pipis, and they want to be able to guarantee freshness for longer.