13th January 2022

Foodbank Hunger Report 2021

The reality of the food crisis facing Australia

 

With the latest Foodbank Hunger Report being recently released, we thought it was pertinent to share.  The report is extremely interesting and well worth the read.   Below are the highlights from the report.

The Foodbank Hunger Report is an annual spotlight on food insecurity in Australia bringing together Foodbank’s research and on-the-ground information and observations.

What is most surprising to note is the varying level of “average” Australians that are experiencing food insecurity as a direct impact of COVID-19 and the challenges that the pandemic has presented.

 

• The issue of food insecurity in Australia has never been more prominent than it is right now. The global pandemic has put a spotlight on the crisis that for too long has flown under society’s radar.

 

• One in six Australian adults haven’t had enough to eat in the last year. If a person is food secure, they have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life1.

1.2 million children have gone hungry in the last 12 months

 

• More than one in six Australian adults can be categorised as severely food insecure which means they experience multiple disruptions to their eating patterns and often have to reduce their food intake. On top of this, 1.2 million children are experiencing severe food insecurity, sometimes going whole days without eating.

 

• Food insecurity is not restricted to the obviously vulnerable groups in the community such as homeless people and the unemployed. A demographic summary of food insecure Australians shows that it affects men and women of every age, living alone, in families and in groups. It affects people in the cities, regional and remote areas and it affects more people in some form of employment than those who have none.

 

• COVID-19 continues to impact food security in Australia Eighteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic, life for Australia’s most vulnerable has not gotten easier. In fact, the combination of multiple lockdowns, further job losses and rollback of government assistance has made things more difficult than ever.

 

One in three food insecure Australians had never been in that position prior to COVID-19

 

• While food insecurity is a long-term experience for many, COVID-19 has caused others to experience it for the first time. In fact, more than one in three food insecure Australians (38%) during the last year had never experienced food insecurity prior to COVID-19. Food insecure Australians are not coping since government assistance has been wound back Government assistance, part

 

• Two thirds of food insecure Australians are seeking food relief with more than half of them saying they are seeking it more often than last year. Social stigma and lack of accessibility are the largest barriers to those who are not seeking help.

 

Even those seeking food relief are not getting the full help they need

 

• Demand for food relief is not currently being met, with more than two in five food insecure Australians (46%) requiring more than they currently receive to meet their household’s needs.

 

Read the full article here

https://reports.foodbank.org.au/wp-content/uploads/documents/2021-Foodbank-Hunger-Report-PDF.pdf