Imagine a country where one in five households struggles to put food on the table, not just occasionally, but regularly. This is the stark reality for 20% of Australian families, according to the 2025 Foodbank Hunger Report. But here's where it gets even more alarming: this isn't just about the homeless or the unemployed. It's about working families, high-income earners, and everyday Australians who are now facing a growing crisis: severe food insecurity.
Take Leah Potter, a Darwin resident, for example. After breaking her leg last year, she had to pause work and rely on budget grocery shopping. With a pre-existing disability, she depends on home deliveries, but recently, she noticed something unsettling—an additional delivery fee. 'I have a strict budget when I'm not working, and that doesn't change,' she explains. 'When the delivery fee went up from $10 to $18, I had to cut $8 worth of groceries just to stay within my limit.'
Leah isn’t alone. As the cost of living soars, even small price hikes can force tough choices at the checkout. She’s already cut meat from her grocery list and hunts for half-price specials, but it’s not enough. 'The cost of those specials is what full-price items used to be,' she notes. And this is the part most people miss: food insecurity isn’t just about hunger—it’s about the impossible decisions families are forced to make every day.
Leah also runs a soup kitchen in Darwin, where she’s seen a dramatic shift in recent years. 'We used to see mostly homeless individuals, but now we’re serving families—people you wouldn’t expect to find here,' she says. This change reflects a broader trend: food insecurity is no longer confined to the margins of society; it’s becoming mainstream.
The 2025 Foodbank Hunger Report reveals that 20% of Australian households experienced severe food insecurity—defined as skipping meals or entire days of eating—in the year leading up to July 2025. That’s a 1% increase from the previous year. Even more startling, nearly half of renting households and one in five households earning over $91,000 annually faced food insecurity in the past year. Overall, one in three Australian households—almost 3.5 million—struggled to put food on the table.
Jack Barrett, manager of Foodbank Darwin, sees this firsthand. 'Food insecurity comes in all shapes and forms,' he says. 'It’s about making nutritional compromises to fit your budget, or even skipping meals. Often, it’s parents sacrificing for their children.' The Darwin hub has been busier than ever, as families fight to make ends meet. Interestingly, 60% of households using Foodbank services are employed, challenging the stereotype that food insecurity only affects the jobless.
Despite the federal government’s efforts to address the cost-of-living crisis—including energy bill relief and Medicare levies—these measures haven’t translated into tangible relief at the grocery checkout. Kylea Tink, CEO of Foodbank Australia, calls this situation 'mainstream hunger.' 'The cost-of-living measures haven’t put more food on the table,' she says. 'They may have offset other costs, but the truth is, people are still skipping meals and worrying about their children’s lunches.'
Foodbank is now urging the government to introduce tax incentives for farmers, growers, and manufacturers to donate surplus edible produce instead of sending it to landfill. This could significantly increase the amount of donated food available. 'Australians are going hungry, and we need the government to step up and close this gap,' Tink emphasizes.
But here’s the controversial part: Is it enough to rely on donations and tax incentives, or does the government need to rethink its entire approach to the cost-of-living crisis? What do you think? Are these measures addressing the root of the problem, or is more radical action needed? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s spark a conversation that could lead to real change.
