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As Victoria faces a growing food insecurity crisis, demand for food assistance services is at an unprecedented level.
Madelaine Griffith works at Foodbank Victoria.
A case from last week comes to mind.
“Last week a young mother came to the Foodbank Victoria warehouse with her child in the car. This mother told our receptionist that her child was refusing to go to school because they didn’t have no takeaway food and they were too ashamed to go is just one story.”
Ms Griffith was speaking before the Victorian Government’s legal and social issues committee, which began a public hearing into food insecurity in the state.
Ms Griffith says food banks are now seeing a never before seen segment of society seeking food assistance.
“Food insecurity is essentially an economic problem. It is all forms of society that cause, for example, a cost of living crisis that makes it too difficult for people to make ends meet. Right now, the The cost of food is astronomical, as we all know, and that makes it even more difficult, they’re seeing people who are working, you know, and who have never needed food assistance before, and a lot of. people don’t have access to it. real change in the past few years that the cost of living is too high for people.
Christine Crowley is Melbourne City Manager at Oz Harvest.
She says that over the past six months, community demand for food assistance has increased and there are no signs of that demand decreasing.
“Food insecurity is a problem that is not going away. We know from our annual community needs survey that eighty-seven per cent of the Victorian charities we support have reported an increase in demand for food over the past six months And while we do our best to provide as much as we can, 74 percent of our charities need more food In fact, the majority of tasks could take. more than double to meet demand. “We see new people every day turning to our charities for help looking for food assistance for the first time in their lives.”
Alarmingly, 54 percent of those seeking help are employed and housed, but still cannot afford enough food due to the rising cost of living.
The situation is so dire, advocates say, that 94 percent of those affected are cutting back on their diets to manage expenses.
The State Legislative Council’s Legal and Social Issues Committee is investigating the drivers and solutions to food insecurity, including its impact on physical and mental health, as well as poverty and hardship.
It will examine available options to reduce the cost of food and improve access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate foods.
But according to Rachel Carey, of the University of Melbourne, many of the causes of the food shortage are beyond the control of the Victorian government.
“Our food systems are being affected by more frequent and severe shocks due to climate change. So, fires, floods, droughts, pandemics, of course, COVID 19, but also geopolitical shocks, like the invasion from Ukraine by Russia These shocks also interact with underlying environmental stressors such as water scarcity And this combination of shocks and stresses contributes to the rise in food prices that you have already heard about. talk and, of course, contributes to growing food insecurity in Victoria, such that the proportion of Victorians who lacked food and could not afford to buy more reached around eight percent in 2022, an increase of 40 percent in two years.
Oz Harvest’s Ms Crowley is calling on the Government to act now.
“More people than ever are going hungry. We urge the government to consider all the factors that impact food security and the options to address them and to fully understand the needs of the community and the current challenges facing are facing the organizations tasked with helping them From OzHarvest’s perspective and on behalf of many small charities on the front lines of food relief, things have never been more difficult, and we appreciate it more than ever. action.”
The Committee will also hear from local councils, nonprofit financial counseling services, and individuals who will share their lived experiences of food insecurity with the Committee.
Representatives from major supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths will also give evidence.
