More than half (59 per cent) of households experiencing food insecurity in Australia are experiencing the most extreme level of hardship, regularly skipping meals or going entire days without food, food relief organisation, Foodbank Australia says in its latest Hunger Report.
More than 870,000 (48 per cent) of low-income households (earning less than $30,000) are food insecure, up five per cent on 2022 to the highest rate since the onset of the cost-of-living crisis.
Single parent households are the hardest hit. Two thirds (69 per cent) are facing food insecurity and 41 per cent of those are experiencing the severest form.
Snapshot
- 32% – 3.4m households or 1 in 3 Australian households are experiencing food insecurity;
- 59% of those – 2m households – are experiencing the most severe level of hardship;
- 48% of low-income households are food insecure;
- Low-income household rate of food insecurity the highest since cost-of-living crisis, up 5% on 2022;
- 69% of single parent households are experiencing food insecurity; and
- 41% of those single parent households experiencing the severest form.
Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey, said, “We warned at the beginning of the cost-of-living crisis that low-income households were always going to suffer first, worst and for the longest and these findings confirm this. We are seeing families that were just getting by, now reaching their limits and making unimaginable choices.
Casey told Food & Drink Business, “Anyone who thinks this crisis is over, or that we’ve turned a corner, or are coming out the other side is certainly not living the day-to-day reality that our low-income households are.”
That more than half of those living with food insecurity are doing so at the most severe level is of particular concern for Casey.
“Keep in mind these are not households worrying about whether they can afford food, or ‘trading down’ to say, canned over fresh products, these are households with disrupted eating patterns, where people regularly skip meals, make compromises on the type of food they’re eating, how often they’re eating, or even if they’re eating at all.
“These are households going entire days without eating because they have literally run out of money to buy more food,” she said.
The report found the most common contributing factors were the higher costs of housing and essential goods, particularly food and utilities, while wages have not kept pace.
Casey said food relief charities are under immense pressure, with need outstripping supply. Just over half (53 per cent) of food insecure households reported receiving more food relief than a year ago. And while people are more aware of where they can get help, support from family and friends has significantly fallen from 32 to 25 per cent in 12 months.
“This is an alarming statistic that demonstrates just how desperate the situation has become for those who were once a lifeline suddenly finding themselves living pay to pay, watching every dollar and sadly, no longer in a position to extend help to loved ones and friends.
“We know it’s going to take months, if not years, for many families to bounce back. We will continue to wrap our arms around our communities for as long as it takes, doing our bit to help nutritious, culturally appropriate food get to as many struggling households as possible,” said Casey.
She also raised the issue of resilience, in the context of Australia heading into summer and its heightened risk of catastrophic weather events.
“Food banks across Australia are in this really challenging scenario of seeing food relief recipients in need of relief more often, but not having enough food relief to go around. We need to ensure that not only are food relief organisations funded adequately, but we also need to look at how resilient we are and how prepared we are if further shocks occur. We do not have sufficient stock on hand to move into a surge season on top of the existing crisis,” she said.
For Casey, with a federal election next year, the report highlights (again) that all political parties and independent candidates need to better understand the reality of Australian households and the urgent need for better funding and policy solutions.
“This needs to be a reference point for everyone. We need people to understand what food insecurity is, the fact that it’s happening in more Australian households than we think, and that it’s going to take all of us working together to ensure that every food insecure household has access to food relief when they need it,” Casey said.
