Millions of Australians are experiencing cost-of-living stress and are struggling to access healthy, affordable food.
According to a report by Foodbank Australia, almost half of Australia’s general population feels anxious about or struggles to access adequate food.
Many of these people are experiencing food insecurity for the first time in their lives.
The report, published on Monday, revealed that, over the past year, at least 3.7 million Australian households faced moderate to severe food insecurity.
This report also showed that this year, an extra 383,000 households were forced to make sacrifices and difficult choices regarding when and what to eat.
The Foodbank Australia findings underscore what they describe as a “food security crisis.”
Foodbank Australia CEO Brianna Casey told SBS News, “we’re seeing it absolutely everywhere.”
“What is different this year is just how many demographic groups are being affected and just how many parts of Australia are seeing this for the very first time.”
Casey explained that the term “food insecurity” refers to a situation where people cannot reliably access the food they need to live healthy lives.
The cost-of-living crisis in Australia is seeing this food insecurity both increase and expand across demographics where it hasn’t been experienced before. What this means is that having a stable job is no longer a shield against food insecurity.
Furthermore, soaring cost-of-living and food insecurity is putting even more pressure on already low income households, who are struggling to afford the essentials as it is.
The unaffordability of both food and housing is now the leading cause of food insecurity among Australians.
This insecurity can have serious physical and psychological impacts on people.
“We are increasingly hearing about people who are skipping meals and sometimes going entire days without eating,” Casey said.
“But also [there’s] the mental health implications of living with this really all-pervasive stress that is hanging over people, worrying all the time about whether or not they’re going to be able to find what they need to put a meal together.”
