Food insecurity
It’s hard to keep food on the table. I’m lucky to eat once a day. Some days I don’t get to eat.
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What we found
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Food insecurity was common among survey respondents. Affording enough food to eat was a pressure point for a significant number, leading to anxiety about food scarcity, rationing amounts or eating less nutritious meals, or even expired or spoiled food was common.
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Self-deprivation was a particularly concerning strategy, with individuals sacrificing their own personal needs to make ends meet. Many reported skipping meals, going without medication or necessary items and prioritising the needs of their children, pets or others in their household over their own wellbeing.
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Alarmingly, the rate of food insecurity revealed in this survey was more than six times higher than the national average for Australia.[1]
Due to a shortage of money:
- 85% of respondents experienced food insecurity in the past year
- 69% reported affording enough food to eat was one of the greatest challenges of the past 12 months
- 62% of respondents with children admitted to going without food so their children could eat
- 56% reported they had to skip meals due to financial hardship
- 53% reported being unable to afford healthy, nutritious food, with many forced to cut back on key food groups
- 43% reported that their household run out of food completely
- 31% accessed free cooked meals from a community kitchen or food van
- 23% were forced to eat expired or spoiled food
- 6% resorted to eating food from dumpsters or rubbish bins
It's hard to keep food on the table. I'm lucky to eat once a day. Some days I don't get to eat.
- 53-year-old man from Queensland
I've lost eight kilos and am currently weighing 47 kilos because I can't afford to eat. I always feel nauseous and dizzy because I'm hungry. It's a horrible way to live. I lay awake for hours at night and only sleep a few hours because I'm so stressed and worried about how I'm going to pay my utility bills and survive.
- 28-year-old woman from Western Australia
I cry alone. I hug my children. I hope for the week to finish quickly and that we have enough food until the next week when we get paid.
- 31-year-old woman from Queensland
How the Salvos help
- In 2024, the Salvos’ Doorways emergency relief and Community Services provided food parcels to almost 52,000 people in need
- Each year, The Salvos corps[2] provide more than 250,000 community meals to people in need
Watch: learn more about the Salvos Salvos Community Lunch 316
Read more about the Salvos Perth Salvos partner with Grill’d to feed the hungry
Wilkins, R., Vera-Toscano, E., Botha, F., Wooden, M., & Trinh, T. A. (2022). The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey: Selected Findings from Waves 1 to 20. Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research, University of Melbourne. ↩︎
Corps refers to The Salvation Army church and its congregation. ↩︎