More employed Australians, university students and families are turning to food relief as cost-of-living pressures continue, according to new Curtin University research.
The qualitative study, published in ‘Health & Social Care in the Community’, interviewed food relief volunteers across Australia and found many organisations are supporting people who had not previously needed assistance.
Lead researcher Ned Marshall said volunteers reported that many people were having to treat food as a “discretionary” expense after paying for essentials such as housing and household bills.
“Food relief volunteers are seeing food become a ‘discretionary’ expense for their clients, due to prioritising paying for living expenses such as bills and housing,” he said.
Mr Marshall said a range of local, regional and international factors, including global conflict and climate crises, were placing pressure on living expenses and food prices, changing who was seeking food relief.
The study also highlighted challenges faced by food relief organisations.
Volunteers described increasingly complex work behind the scenes, including collecting and distributing food, the growing size of food relief operations, food donations that could not be passed on to clients, and an increasing reliance on purchased food when donations were not enough.
Volunteers also reported a sharp rise in demand over recent years, with some saying the number of people seeking support had doubled or tripled.
They said they had noticed more students, parents and employed people accessing food relief as many families continued to face cost-of-living pressures, with some still recovering in the post-pandemic period.
The research found that shame and stigma remained major barriers for people seeking help.
Mr Marshall said previous research with people using food relief services showed that a warm, kind and empathetic welcome from volunteers could make a significant difference.
“Putting your hand up and speaking out can be the most challenging part,” he said.
“However, there is no shame in needing help. Food insecurity isn’t a personal or moral failing, it’s a broader systemic issue.”
Most of the volunteers interviewed for the study were from Western Australia, including both metropolitan and regional areas, suggesting these experiences are not limited to Perth.
Dr Chloé Maxwell-Smith, coordinator of undergraduate psychology courses and majors at Curtin University’s School of Population Health, said food relief organisations played an important role, but reducing food insecurity would require broader action.
She said government policy could help address cost-of-living pressures, support increased wages, and reduce housing costs and food prices, adding that food insecurity is a broad issue that requires political and systemic action.
