2m+ households ran out of food in the last year: Foodbank
17 October 2022 at 11:34 am
Cost-of-living pressure is driving Australian food insecurity according to research from the food relief organisation.
More than 2 million households in Australia ran out of food in the last year, leading to 1.3 million children living in food insecure households, according to Foodbank’s Hunger Report 2022.
People in those households would sometimes skip meals or go whole days without eating.
Foodbank is now calling for relief in the budget to be released by the federal government next week.
“We have heard the treasurer caution that the October budget is not the time for new spending measures to deliver relief to struggling families, but with more than a million people a month already seeking food relief, if not now, then when?” said Foodbank CEO Brianna Casey.
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Foodbank attributes the alarming statistics to cost-of-living pressure, with the cost of food and groceries confirmed as the top cause followed closely by energy and housing costs.
“Assumptions that this is affecting only those who are unemployed or homeless are incorrect with the research showing that over half of food insecure households had someone in paid work and a third of households with mortgages have experienced food insecurity,” reads a Foodbank statement.
Casey said despite witnessing the unprecedented pressure placed on food banks over the COVID-19 pandemic, she was shocked by the troubling picture painted in the report.
“We know how important it is for people to have access to nutritious food, yet the rising costs of energy, fuel, groceries, rent and mortgages have put this fundamental need beyond the reach of more and more people with no respite in sight,” said Casey.
“These results should make everyone stop in their tracks. The numbers being reported are massive and hard to process, but they represent the harsh reality of living week to week when the cost-of-living crisis collides with an income crisis and the household budget now lists food as a discretionary spend.”
