By The Numbers

How many Australians experience food insecurity?

The Foodbank Hunger Report, now in its seventh year, surveyed 2000 charities and 1000 individuals from around Australia who are experiencing food insecurity.

The October 2019 report found that in the past year, more than one in five Australians have been in a situation where they have run out of food and were unable to buy more - the equivalent of five million people. At least once a week, around half of these people skip a meal or cut down on the size of their meals to make their food go further. At least once a week, three in ten food insecure Australians go a whole day without eating.

The top three immediate causes of food insecurity are an unexpected bill or expense, living on a low income or pension, and meeting rent or mortgage payments. Being unable to afford enough food takes a significant toll on a person’s physical health, and food insecurity can also have a devastating effect on an individual’s mental health.

In spite of Foodbank now providing food relief for more than 810,000 people every month, the Foodbank Hunger Report shows the charity network is still not meeting demand. There has been a 22 per cent increase in the number of individuals accessing food relief in the past year and only 37 per cent of charities believe they are meeting the full demand in their communities.

As a result, Foodbank is calling for a commitment to introduce a National Food Security Strategy to ensure we achieve zero hunger in this country by 2030. More than

21% OF AUSTRALIANS

have experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months

30%

of food insecure people go a WHOLE DAY without eating

WOMEN are

1.5 TIMES

MORE LIKELY than men to have experienced FOOD

INSECURITY

in the last 12 months

Only 37% of charities are MEETING the full NEEDS of the people they assist

Children represent

22%

of all food insecure Australians

FOOD INSECURE Australians are 5 TIMES MORE LIKELY to experience PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS than the average Australian

In 2018, an estimated 40 MILLION children under five were OVERWEIGHT

70% of FOOD INSECURE Australians experience high or very HIGH LEVELS of psychological DISTRESS

53% of Australians experiencing FOOD INSECURITY have sought ASSISTANCE from a charity at least once in the past 12 months

FOODBANK provides RELIEF to more than 815,000 Australians every month

22% INCREASE in the number of individuals seeking FOOD RELIEF from charities in the last 12 months