One in four families experiencing food insecurity

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A good diet is essential for a healthy lifestyle, but one in four Australians see nutritious food as a luxury they can't always afford. In this cost-of-living crisis, the number of families suffering from food insecurity is growing, and experts say governments are failing to take basic steps to address the problem.

Transcript

00:00 Sarah Walker is doing her best to eat healthy.

00:06 Sweet potato chips.

00:07 But in this cost of living crisis, it's not easy.

00:11 Last year, the 51-year-old mother was diagnosed with malnutrition.

00:15 She didn't have enough money to pay her bills,

00:17 so was trying to save money by skipping meals and eating cheap, processed food.

00:22 It's a lot cheaper to buy two-minute noodles than it is to buy fruit and veg.

00:28 It's estimated that one in four Australian families is suffering from food insecurity,

00:33 with ABS data showing the cost of food rising faster than almost any other part of the household budget.

00:39 But measuring the extent of the problem isn't easy.

00:42 Unlike other governments, Australia doesn't regularly collect data on food security.

00:47 The most recent official data is more than a decade old.

00:51 This is definitely a hidden problem in Australia.

00:53 If you don't measure it, you can't mend it.

00:56 So at the moment we don't have a national nutrition policy.

00:59 The policy that we do have is 30 years old.

01:02 The Department of Health says the National Food and Nutrition Policy,

01:05 which was published in 1992, is currently being updated and should be completed next year.

01:11 It also says it's working on a policy document to address food security in priority populations by 2030.

01:18 Just put them in that.

01:20 Some say that quicker action is needed.

01:22 People in this country are starving.

01:24 Sarah started her own charity to feed families in her area,

01:28 but says grassroots organisations won't solve the problem.

01:31 We shouldn't be having third world conditions in a country that's as rich as Australia.

01:36 A plea for help to tackle a severe problem.

01:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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