Australia is one of the world’s wealthiest countries, yet millions of households struggle to obtain enough food. Foodbank Australia’s latest report shows that 3.6 million households experienced some form of food insecurity over the past 12 months, around 100,000 more than a year earlier. Rising living costs, rent, mortgage repayments and other essentials have made food one of the first areas some families cut from their budgets.
The new Foodbank report, covered by Australian media on 26 October, paints a troubling picture of cost-of-living pressure. It found that almost one in three Australian households experienced food insecurity during the past year. Their number reached around 3.6 million, compared with approximately 3.5 million the previous year.
Food insecurity is no longer limited to people with no income. Workers, families with children and young people are among those struggling to afford enough food. Even in the relatively high-income ACT, charities say people working full-time seek food and assistance.
What exactly does food insecurity mean?
It does not necessarily mean having nothing to eat. A family may be unsure whether it can afford next week’s groceries, reduce food quality or buy fewer fresh, healthy foods. In more severe cases, members may skip meals or go without enough food for a period.
A family can therefore have a home, working parents and children attending school while still experiencing food insecurity. The problem arises when income no longer covers all essential costs simultaneously.
Families then face difficult choices. Rent must be paid, electricity and gas kept connected, work travel covered and loans repaid. With insufficient money for everything, food is one of the few areas where spending can immediately be reduced.
Why do families cut food first?
Foodbank Australia chief executive Kylea Tink has likened food insecurity to an early warning of severe household financial pressure. Families generally prioritise keeping a roof overhead, maintaining essential services and getting to work. Food can consequently be the first thing reduced.
This explains why food insecurity offers a different picture of the cost-of-living crisis. A family may still pay rent on time and appear financially stable, while parents eat less so their children have enough.
An emptier family table can therefore precede more visible signs of financial crisis.
Families with children face greater pressure
One of the report’s most concerning findings relates to families with children. Foodbank data shows that 45 per cent of households with children experienced food insecurity over the past 12 months. Single-parent households faced greater difficulty, with the figure reaching around 60 per cent .
When children are affected, the issue extends beyond hunger. Adequate nutrition is linked to physical development, concentration and learning. A child arriving at school without breakfast may struggle to focus compared with one who has eaten enough.
Foodbank has consequently called for expanded school breakfast programs across Australia. It says it already supports thousands and wants a national program reaching children nationwide by 2030.
Young people are also at the centre of the crisis
Food insecurity affects more than families with children. Young people are also significantly affected.
Foodbank says younger households, particularly those aged 18 to 34, are among the most affected. For many, independent living brings high rents, transport costs, study debts and rising grocery prices.
This can be harder for people newly entering the workforce. Employment does not necessarily protect against food insecurity. Where housing and fixed costs absorb much of the income, little may remain for food and other daily needs.
Regional areas also face difficulties
Regional living may be assumed to be cheaper and food insecurity less common. Foodbank’s findings suggest otherwise.
Almost one in four regional households experienced severe food insecurity, compared with around 18 per cent in metropolitan areas.
Long distances, transport costs and limited access to shops may contribute. Some foods cost more in remote areas. Living nearer food-producing regions does not necessarily mean cheaper food access.
Canberra is not immune
The report is particularly relevant to ACT residents. Canberra has high average incomes, but also substantial housing and living costs.
ABC reported on Canberra resident Travis Gilbert, who became unemployed for the first time after 22 years of work. JobSeeker covered some expenses, including rent, electricity, phone and transport, but he struggled with other needs and eventually accessed his superannuation.
HelpingACT volunteers told ABC that some people seeking food assistance had recently never imagined needing it. Even some full-time workers request food or help with bills.
This illustrates how losing a single wage can separate stability from crisis for some families. Illness, unemployment or a major unexpected expense can quickly upset household finances.
Why does this matter to migrant families?
For some migrant families, living costs combine with other challenges. Newcomers may lack stable employment, initially work for lower incomes or spend much of their income on rent.
Some also lack extensive local support networks. Parents or siblings may live overseas, so immediate family help is not always available after job loss or an unexpected expense.
This can add pressure. However, Foodbank’s 3.6 million figure covers all Australian households and does not establish that migrants necessarily experience more food insecurity than others. Housing costs, income and access to support can affect any household.
Food insecurity is not always visible
One difficulty is that hunger has no single outward appearance.
Someone seeking food assistance may have a job, a car and children attending school daily. Yet after rent, electricity, insurance, transport and other expenses, insufficient money may remain for nutritious food.
This year’s report also highlights another finding. 69 per cent of food-insecure households said they had experienced the situation for the first time during the past 12 months. Some people now needing assistance had therefore never faced this problem before.
The traditional picture of food assistance being needed only by unemployed or very low-income people no longer fully explains the situation.
Food assistance is essential but does not resolve the underlying causes
In October 2026, the federal government allocated around $700,000 in additional emergency funding to Foodbank. The organisation welcomed it but said such funding alone could not resolve food insecurity.
Food distribution offers immediate help to a family without food today. But if it faces high rent, inadequate income and essential bills again next month, the need returns.
Food insecurity is therefore linked to housing, income, social support, employment and essential service costs. Foodbank has called for a broader approach involving agriculture, health, education and social policy.
When living costs reach the dinner plate
The 3.6 million figure is more than an economic statistic. Behind it are families deciding each week how to spend limited money.
For some, the choice is between better food and electricity bills; for others, groceries and petrol to get to work. Some parents eat less so their children do not go hungry.
Australia has abundant food resources and an advanced economy. When almost a third of households experience food insecurity in a year, the issue cannot be regarded solely as an individual family problem.
Charities and school breakfast programs can reduce immediate pressure. But the fundamental question remains: Why can more Australian families, including some working households, no longer afford enough nutritious food on their incomes?
The answer lies beyond grocery prices. Rent, mortgages, income, energy, transport and other essential expenses all form part of the equation.
Foodbank’s report offers a clear warning: the cost-of-living crisis becomes more serious when families, after paying essential bills, no longer have enough for one of life’s most basic needs: food.
Sources: Foodbank Australia and ABC News, 26 October 2026.
