Australia’s hunger problem is growing, according to a Foodbank report into food poverty released this week.
Australians aged between 18 and 34 reported experiencing food insecurity at a rate of 48% in the past year.
A separate report, also released on Monday, found that the majority of 18 to 24-year-olds identified cost of living as their biggest concern.
Here’s what you need to know.
Background
Each year, Australia’s largest food relief charity, Foodbank, assesses Australians’ experiences of food insecurity through its Hunger Report.
The organisation surveys Australians about their ability to buy food comfortably.
The latest results were released on Monday.
A separate report with data from the Gen Z Wellbeing Index was also released on Monday.
This looks at the challenges and triumphs of 18 to 24-year-olds.
Food insecurity
Foodbank found that 3.6 million households are experiencing food insecurity.
This is around one in three Australian households, and an increase of 100,000 households from last year.
Food security is when people can access enough food, of the right kind, to live an active and healthy life.
This trend is particularly evident in young people, with 48% of 18 to 34-year-olds reporting food insecurity.
On top of this, more than a quarter of this cohort have experienced severe food insecurity.
TDA spoke to Travis Gilbert, who has experienced food insecurity due to unemployment.
Gilbert had to leave his social work role after 22 years due to a housing situation that became violent.
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He is currently searching for a new role and relies on JobSeeker payments to cover basic necessities like rent and bills.
However, Gilbert has found these payments are not enough to cover groceries and medical appointments, and has resorted to withdrawing from his super balance to afford these essentials.
Causes
The cost of living is identified as the greatest challenge for food-insecure households, with around 92% of respondents experiencing food insecurity listing it as their biggest concern.
In households facing severe food insecurity, 96% of respondents said they skipped meals or cut meal sizes due to cost-of-living pressures.
Other measures, including driving less and cutting back on eating out, were also undertaken by respondents, including from food-secure households.
Solutions
Foodbank Australia CEO Kylea Tink has raised initiatives like a national minimum standard for school breakfast programs by 2030 as “one of the best ways” to tackle food insecurity.
This program would mean “one less meal for food-insecure families to worry about,” she said.
Tink also called on “business, philanthropists and communities” to invest in “immediate relief”.
Wellbeing index
The Gen Z Wellbeing Index, by housing provider Scape and career coaching platform Anyway, looks at specific challenges faced by 18 to 24-year-olds.
Cost-of-living pressures were also flagged as the greatest societal concern by 60% of respondents.
This is followed by housing and rental affordability at 40%.
The factor making the biggest negative impact on wellbeing specifically was identified as body image and insecurity at 39%, closely followed by “figuring out my future” at 38%.
The report identifies the key message from the results as “the continuing importance of human connection.”
“The findings point to a shared priority: maintaining access to trusted support and creating inclusive environments where young people can connect, feel understood and thrive while navigating uncertainty,” they said.
