What is Food Insecurity?

Food insecurity isn’t just an empty stomach problem in Australia; it’s much more complicated.

It’s tangled up with bigger issues many Aussies deal with daily.

It starts with feeling anxious about whether or not you’ve got enough food to feed yourself or your family. People might dip in and out of food insecurity.

Examples range from having breakfast cereal for dinner, to sending a child to school with an empty lunch box, to being a pensioner and “trying to convince yourself that two or even one meal a day is adequate”.

At the other end of the spectrum are people who are chronically food insecure and regularly go without meals. The issue involves not just quantity of consumption, but also quality.

Our Foodbank Hunger Report reveals that 94% of Australians experiencing food insecurity alter their grocery spending habits, with nearly half making compromises on protein and fresh produce, as food and groceries are often the initial expenses reduced when facing financial constraints.

As one of the biggest contributors to the strain on household budgets, food and groceries are also the first items people cut back on when trying to make ends meet.

Food insecurity is now being experienced in homes it has never touched before. One new recipient recently shared:

“We moved into our own house and interest rates went up at the same time. My partner has just started a business and I started in a new job. Outgoings are simply more than incomings.”

Help us get more vital food to vulnerable South Australians and Territorians in need. For every $1 donated we can distribute 2 meals to someone in need.

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