![]() Countries such as the UK, US and Canada already do this. The coalition of researchers says the government should commit to mandatory, regular monitoring and reporting of the prevalence of marginal, moderate and severe food insecurity in each state and territory across Australia. Renters, the unemployed and low income earners are also vulnerable, according to the Food Bank statistics from 2022. “We’re proposing a national plan so that when we do have the data it’s easier to act because we know who to help and where they live.” Who is going hungry?Īustralians who experience most food insecurity include young people (39% of people between ages 18-24) and single-parent households with children (37%). ![]() “We won’t have a full picture of the prevalence of food insecurity without national, regular data collection on food security,” says Williams. They have released a Household Food Security Data Consensus statement to pressure federal and state governments to tackle this issue. Williams and her colleague, Associate Professor Seema Mihrshahi of the School of Health Sciences, have joined forces with 16 other academics to form the Australian Household Food Security Data Coalition. “What we need is a comprehensive food plan to ensure everyone has access to healthy, affordable, sustainable and culturally appropriate food across Australia. The call for an urgent government response comes from researchers across Australia universities, including two academics from Macquarie University. “In practice, this means because they don’t have enough money to cover their usual grocery bills, parents are going without food or skimping on meals on some days or buying low cost food with less nutritional value, such as fast food,” she says. Yet one in five Australian households now faces acute food insecurity.įood insecurity means people skipping meals or eating low quality food, says Dr Miriam Williams, an urban geographer and senior lecturer in Macquarie’s School of Social Sciences. It exports 72 per cent of agricultural output, according to the Department of Agriculture Food and Fisheries. National response: researchers want regular data collection about which specific groups are experiencing food insecurity as part of a plan to tackle the problem.Īustralia is one of the most food secure countries in the world. They want the government to act urgently to better understand the problem and develop targeted responses. A combination of floods, rising living costs and the impact of COVID-19 has pushed almost two million Australian households into severe food insecurity, leading researchers say.
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