Foodbank has been calling for a bipartisan, whole-of-government approach to food security for almost a decade, recognising the importance of a forward-looking strategy to underpin the efforts of the public, private and non-profit sectors on this issue.

“Every Australian should have reliable access to healthy, culturally appropriate food, but this is not the case for more than 3 million households across the country” Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey AM said today.

“With a cyclone barrelling towards South-East Queensland, heatwaves across much of northern Australia and fires still burning in Victoria and Tasmania, the resilience of our food systems is being continually tested,” Ms Casey said. “Whether triggered by natural disasters, geopolitical instability or workforce issues, supply chain disruption is now the norm, and the impacts are only adding to the strain on household budgets”.

The Foodbank Hunger Report 2024 revealed that food insecurity is no longer just a low-income household problem. One in 5 median income households is now experiencing food insecurity, with 10% of these median income households severely food insecure, meaning they are skipping meals and even going entire days without eating to ensure they can keep a roof over their heads.

“Foodbank is already sourcing 252,000 meals a day and supporting more than a million people a month, but despite our best efforts, we simply cannot keep up with the demand for food relief across Australia,” Ms Casey said.

“The cost-of-living crisis not only drives up demand for food relief, with more and more households struggling with the increased costs of food, housing and utilities, but also impacts Foodbank’s supply,” Ms Casey explained. “The cost of sourcing, storing and transporting essential food relief is increasing by the day and simply cannot be sustained at current funding levels.”

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