How many Australians are going hungry? The country doesn't know for sure, and that's a big part of the problem
Growing numbers of Australians are to put enough healthy food on the table every day as the . But Australia doesn't collect enough data on food insecurity. The lack of data makes it difficult for policymakers to grasp the extent of the problem, let alone take effective action to solve it.
Food insecurity can range from being anxious about not having enough food in the house, to eating cheaper, less healthy foods due to a lack of money, to regularly skipping meals and going hungry.
from before 2020 suggested between 4% and 13% of the general Australian population were food insecure and 22% to 32% of the Indigenous population, depending on location. A found levels of food insecurity are worse than before the COVID pandemic.
In Australia, food insecurity is usually . This can be a result of low wages, unexpected bills, or inadequate government support payments.
Food insecurity has a powerful influence on health. It leads to worse physical and mental health in both . And the impacts get worse as the severity of food insecurity increases.
Some Australians for temporary relief. But little is being done to change the root causes of food insecurity.
In response, Australia's leading food insecurity researchers have joined forces to develop the . To be launched on December 14, the statement calls for Australia to use a reliable and internationally comparable measure of food insecurity. It proposes using the full-length, 18-question .
If you don't measure it, you can't mend it
Having enough food is a basic . Yet despite Australia producing enough , not all Australians have enough.
Federal, state and territory governments do not regularly measure and report on food insecurity. This leaves researchers, organizations and policymakers short of information about Australians experiencing food insecurity.
The information we have has been collected using many . This means we can't easily compare the results.
And these existing tools often underestimate the . This is because they don't ask enough questions about the range of experiences of food insecurity, such as eating poor-quality food, or .
To fill the gap, we often turn to data collected by the . However, food security policy and government responses must be supported by independent, rigorous data collection. That's the only way to ensure we have an accurate picture of food insecurity in the whole population.
Without this data, people in power seem to have no motivation to act in a timely way to prevent Australians experiencing food insecurity.
What can be done about these problems?
Other high-income countries, like and , have regular and reliable monitoring systems. These countries measure food insecurity every one to two years. Their reliable data enable them to respond with .
Australia can learn from these countries. Regular, high-quality data about food insecurity will support action at all levels of society. It will help ensure policy responses are timely and targeted.
The are . Actions might include:
- collaborations at the local level—for example, Western Australia's project is working with community members to develop place-based solutions in different regions
- emergency food relief
- such as meal programs that provide food and help children understand healthy eating
- that develop nutrition knowledge and cooking skills in people at risk of food insecurity
- broad policy interventions, including increasing government support payments.
A call to properly monitor food insecurity in Australia
Regular national monitoring of food insecurity will mean we have enough good information about Australians' experiences of food insecurity. We can then use this information to take action that helps those struggling to afford basic necessities like food.
The consensus statement being issued this week will be used in conversations with people in positions of power to shine a light on the importance of measuring food insecurity.
The recommended in the statement is a freely available measurement tool. It takes a few minutes to complete, has been translated into several languages and is relatively easy to use. Importantly, it can measure food insecurity in households with both adults and children.
We know food insecurity is in Australia. What we need now is for all levels of government to commit to regularly monitoring food insecurity. Only then can targeted responses be developed.
No one in Australia should go hungry.
Provided by The Conversation
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