Food insecurity has affected one in three Australian households over the past year, with renters, young people, disabled people and those on low incomes among the worst hit, new Foodbank research has found.
The charity’s survey of almost 6,000 Australians estimated that 3.6 million households were struggling to access enough nutritious food. Many said they had reduced meal portions, cut back on essential toiletries and changed how they travelled to cope with rising costs.
Foodbank said 33 per cent of households had experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months, a slight increase from 32.8 per cent in 2025. The figure remains below the 35.9 per cent recorded in 2023.
The research used the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s definition of food insecurity, referring to a lack of regular access to sufficient, nourishing food for proper development and a healthy life.
Young and renting households among those worst affected
Nearly half of households headed by people aged between 18 and 34 experienced food insecurity, compared with 19 per cent of households including someone aged over 55.
Households with children were also more likely to be affected, with 45 per cent reporting food insecurity compared with 28 per cent of households without children. The rate rose to 57 per cent among Indigenous households and 36 per cent in regional areas, compared with 32 per cent in metropolitan areas.
Renters were particularly exposed, with 51 per cent reporting food insecurity. Among middle-income households earning between 33,800 and 90,999 Australian dollars, 37 per cent said they had struggled to secure enough food.
Foodbank Australia chief executive Kylea Tink, a former independent MP, said the problem appeared to have become entrenched and was reaching further into the middle-income population.
“We call ourselves the lucky country, but for one in three households, Australia is now the hungry country,” she said. “Sadly, hunger has become part of the Australian story.”
Ms Tink added: “A wage used to be what kept food on the table, but for a growing number of working Australians, their pay packet no longer stretches that far.”
Households cut food, transport and personal care spending
Driving less or switching to cheaper forms of transport was the most common response among households experiencing food insecurity. Seventy per cent said they had reduced their driving, compared with 41 per cent of households with secure access to food.
Half of food-insecure households said they had reduced meal portions or ingredients, compared with 21 per cent of food-secure households. Almost half had also cut spending on cleaning and personal care products such as soap, shampoo and toothpaste.
Two-thirds had reduced spending on haircuts and other grooming services, while similar proportions searched for discounts when buying groceries and cut back on heating or cooling.
Only 4 per cent of households experiencing food insecurity said they had made no changes to their spending, compared with more than a fifth of food-secure households.
The findings come as inflation figures due this week are expected to show continued pressure on household essentials, potentially paving the way for another interest rate rise when the Reserve Bank meets early next month.
Petrol prices have risen by almost 14 per cent over the past year, while beef has increased by 9.4 per cent, lamb by 10.1 per cent and milk by 8 per cent. A recent surge in global oil prices has since pushed petrol above 2.40 Australian dollars a litre.
Reserve Bank deputy governor Andrew Hauser said last week that, although higher interest rates were affecting mortgage holders, people on low incomes, including renters, were being hit particularly hard by inflation.
Foodbank is calling on the federal government to establish a national minimum standard for school breakfast programmes.
