Struggling Aussies requesting period care products

15 July 2024, Sydney: The inability to afford period products has hidden and severe consequences including missing school or work or using unhygienic items such as socks, newspapers and rags as replacements, potentially leading to medical issues.

Foodbank Hunger Report 2023 revealed that 29% of food insecure households need more period products from charities and community groups. The report also found that 47% of food insecure households were requesting more everyday household items such as cleaning and personal care products with the cost of living being the main reason for so many households doing it tough.

Research by Share the Dignity, a charity dedicated to sourcing and distributing period care products to those who need it, found that 19% of high school students often or sometimes stayed at home because they could not afford pads or tampons while one in ten tertiary students and employees reported having trouble buying period products every month for the same reason.

Brianna Casey AM, Foodbank Australia CEO, understands that ensuring period products are available to everyone who needs them is essential for the wellbeing of those in need, “Providing access to essential period care products is about more than just health – it’s about dignity, comfort and confidence when they turn up to school or work and providing them with what they need to simply be themselves.”

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Historic reform a step towards feeding hungry Australians

Friday 28 June 2024: Legislation introduced next week aims to unlock tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables for hungry Australians struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Inspired by the National Food Donation Tax Incentive, this new reform represents a significant step forward in addressing food insecurity in Australia.

Western Australian Senator Dean Smith will table a Private Senator’s Bill, the Incentivising Food Donations to Charitable Organisations Bill, in the Senate. This Bill aims to change Australia’s tax system to encourage the donation, rather than dumping, of food. It has the potential to deliver millions of extra meals and help Australia reach its bipartisan commitment to halve food waste by 2030.

The Bill is inspired by the National Food Donation Tax Incentive, a proposal developed by KPMG through the support of End Food Waste Australia, the NSW Environmental Protections Agency and Queensland Department of Environment and Science. It incentivises food businesses, such as farmers, wholesalers and transporters to donate surplus food and allied services to Australian food relief charities.

The incentive has garnered support in recent Parliamentary inquiries and was a key recommendation in the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture’s Report into Food Security in Australia. It also enjoys widespread endorsement from representative organisations and businesses in the Australian food industry and works successfully in other countries, including France, Canada, and the United States.

Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey AM, stressed the importance of this incentive.

“We have families unable to put food on the table despite tonnes of perfectly edible food being dumped or ploughed in each year. We know that households under financial pressure have been forced to reduce – or even remove – their spend on fresh fruit & vegetables and protein, meaning demand for these products at food banks across Australia has skyrocketed. This tax incentive is smart policy, and the debate in the Senate next week should be about how quickly we can introduce it, not about party politics.”

OzHarvest CEO, James Goth, agreed, “Demand for food relief is at an all-time high and our charities are telling us they are struggling to cope with the ongoing increase in numbers. This bill has the potential to get edible food off farms and onto the plates of those who need it most, addressing food security and food waste simultaneously. It’s crucial for politicians to recognise this need in the community and unite to implement this reform.”

SecondBite CEO, Daniel Moorfield, added, “We are committed to working with the government and all stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of this tax incentive. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of millions of Australians and move closer to achieving our food waste reduction goals.”

Senator Dean Smith stated that the Bill represents a single, straightforward solution to two problems.

“Food relief charities are fighting to meet unprecedented demand, while at the same time an unbelievable amount of food is dumped each year, much of it edible, and often because it’s cheaper than donating it. My Private Senator’s Bill – originally shaped by the National Food Donation Tax Incentive and refined through close consultation with the Australian charity sector – is aimed at turning that around and delivering meaningful help to Australians in need.”

The Bill will be introduced into the Senate on 3 July and is expected to be referred to a committee for inquiry. Stakeholders will have an opportunity to make submissions of their suggested changes and improvements, with a Parliamentary report to be delivered by 30 October.

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Struggling Australians go hungry to feed their pets

Thursday 11 April 2024: Pet owners living in food insecure households are resorting to self-sacrifice to protect the welfare of their pets, with almost a quarter (24%) skipping meals so their pets can eat.

According to a report published today by Foodbank Australia to mark National Pets Day, food insecure households value their pets to such an extent that they don’t want to let them go hungry.

Despite continued cost of living pressures, surrendering pets is an absolute last resort with 14% of pet owners in food insecure households reported giving up a pet during the previous 12 months. As low as this is, it is still twice the national average for Australian households (7%).

The report, supported by Mars Petcare Australia, a long-standing donor to Foodbank with brands such as Pedigree and Whiskas, reveals that half (56%) of food insecure households in the past 12 months own a pet, higher than the Australian average (48%).

According to survey respondents, pets play a crucial role in their lives. They offer companionship, emotional support, increased social interaction and a sense of security and purpose – all of which can be otherwise challenging for those doing it tough.

“Many families facing food insecurity struggle to provide proper nutrition for themselves, let alone their pets, which can lead to significant health and wellbeing consequences for pet owners as well as their pets,” said Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey.

We have heard previously that parents skip meals in order to ensure their children can eat, but we are now hearing this sacrifice extends to the welfare of pets, who are very much-loved family members.”

Commenting on the report findings, General Manager of Mars Petcare Australia, Craig Sargeant said, “We know the valuable role pets play in Australian households, particularly households in need, and we are proud to support Foodbank in highlighting the struggle that pet parents in food insecure households are facing. This includes continuing our donation program with Foodbank focused on keeping pets healthy and remaining in loving homes.

In 2023, Foodbank provided over 430,000 kilograms of pet food, valued at over $6 million, thanks to food industry partners such as Mars Petcare, yet the research reveals that only 9% of pet owners from food insecure households are aware that pet food is available as a part of food relief services.

“This figure is staggering and shouldn’t be happening. We want people to know if they are doing it tough, if they have pets, we can help them and their pets. Head to the Find Food button on our website to find a service near you that can assist,” said Ms Casey.

As part of Mars Petcare Australia’s ongoing support of Foodbank Australia to assist Australians experiencing food insecurity, Mars Petcare Associates will be donating their time on National Pet Day to make essential pet food hampers including Pedigree, Greenies, Whiskas and My Dog.

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A tax incentive to ensure food ends up in bellies, not bins…

while also protecting our environment.

What is the issue?

Australia currently wastes more than 7.6 million tonnes of food each year, costing the economy over $36.6 billion. 70% of this food is perfectly edible.

Despite this, Australia’s current tax framework does not support the food industry to donate surplus stock to food relief – in fact, it treats this the same as sending it to landfill. This needs to be changed.

Independent modelling shows that this incentive would potentially save the equivalent of an additional 100 million meals a year and could assist in halving overall food waste by 2030.

Similar incentives are already effective in countries such as the United States, Canada and France.

What is proposed?

In July 2024, Western Australian Senator Dean Smith introduced the Tax Laws Amendment (Incentivising Food Donations to Charitable Organisations) Bill 2024 in the Senate. This Bill proposes amendments to Australia’s tax laws to incentivise small and medium-sized food producers, such as farmers and growers, to donate surplus fresh food to registered food charities

The proposed tax incentive would provide a cashback or tax credit for businesses based on the costs incurred in donating food.

Small businesses (Cashback incentives for food donation costs.
Medium businesses ($20m–$50m turnover): above what’s available to a company for disposal of the stock.

It would only be a proportion of the costs incurred but will tip the scales when businesses are considering whether to donate or dump.

How would it work?

Example of how the incentive would work for a small enterprise is:

A farmer operating a business with a turnover of less than $20 million has 500kg of zucchinis that cost $1.50 per kg to grow and harvest but they are in excess of customer demand due to a better-than-expected growing season. Instead of dumping the zucchinis, the farmer engages a local transport company at a cost of $250 to deliver the zucchinis to a food relief organisation. The total cost to the farmer of $1,000 would enable him to receive an additional tax refund of $200.

Where to from here?

In November, the same week that two government reports were handed down, both recommending the adoption of the food donation tax incentive as a targeted non-inflationary measure to address cost of living pressures, the Senate economics committee has rejected the Bill that would have brought the incentive to life.

We are asking for businesses to sign the letter of support linked here. To stay up to date about the progress of the proposal and information on what you can do to support it, please fill out the form below.

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Foodbank sources record volume of food and groceries in 2023

16 February 2024 – Today, Foodbank Australia revealed it sourced a record 51 million kilograms of food and groceries in 2023, the equivalent of 92 million meals, as the cost-of-living crisis pushed demand for food relief to record highs across the country.

The Foodbank Hunger Report 2023 confirmed food insecurity was experienced in 3.7 million households last year, more than all the households in Sydney and Melbourne combined. This is an increase of 383,000 households from the same time in 2022 and meant that Foodbanks across the country had to source more food and grocery items than ever before.

The main driver of food insecurity is the cost-of-living crisis, causing more Australians to be anxious about putting food on the table with 77 percent of food insecure households experiencing it for the first time in the past year.

Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey explains that food insecurity is now affecting more Australians than ever before.

“It’s touching groups previously unaffected: young professionals and mid to high-income earners are among those being forced to make sacrifices at the dinner table.

“In any other industry, reaching a volume milestone is cause for celebration. At Foodbank, needing to source 92 million meals is a deeply concerning signal of extreme hardship across our communities, and proof positive of the need for the Federal Government to deliver immediate and significant cost of living relief, including improved funding for the food relief sector to respond to ever-growing demand for food relief in communities we’ve never seen it before.”

Partnering for purpose

Whilst the worsening state of food insecurity in Australia paints a dire picture, it is the generosity and commitment of the Australian food and grocery industry, as well as corporate Australia, that allows Foodbank to support those in need at such an incredible scale.

“We couldn’t do what we do best at Foodbank without the generosity and ingenuity of our partners across the agriculture, production, manufacturing and transportations industries,” said Ms Casey.

Donations of ambient, chilled, fresh food and private label products and personal and household care items are all welcome. By redistributing otherwise wasted products—they may be out of specification, close to expiry, deleted product, surplus or damaged—Foodbank is able feed Australians that would otherwise go without.

Foodbank works with farmers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and retailers who donate food and grocery items and redirect surplus stock so that they can be distributed through Foodbank’s charity network and outlets to those who need it most.

The national food relief sector’s pre-budget submission, which calls for a significant increase in investment for food relief, can be found here.

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Food Relief sector calls for urgent action on funding

Wednesday 24 January, 2024

Ahead of the Prime Minister’s caucus meeting on the cost-of-living crisis, Australia’s food relief sector has called for an urgent and dramatic increase in Federal funding to help respond to unprecedented levels of demand for food relief.

The Foodbank Hunger Report 2023 highlighted that the cost of living is crippling households across the country and there is compelling evidence that the situation has deteriorated in recent months. Despite this, base funding for Foodbank Australia, SecondBite and OzHarvest remains at an embarrassingly low $1.3m per year – combined.

Brianna Casey, CEO of Foodbank Australia, says,

“The Prime Minister is committed to introducing cost of living relief. One of the most obvious solutions that would provide immediate relief to those already struggling would be to bolster support for the food relief sector. This would be a targeted and sensible investment capable of ensuring fresh fruit and vegetables, protein and pantry staples are available to community members most affected by the current crisis.”

Daniel Moorfield, CEO of SecondBite echoed this saying:

“While we are dealing with a cost-of-living crisis that knows no bounds, we’re also preparing for and responding to flash flooding, yet another cyclone record temperatures sweeping in from the west. There is only so much we can do without more meaningful support from the Federal Government.”

According to Ronni Kahn AO, CEO and Founder of OzHarvest:

“Despite more people than ever before needing food relief due to the unrelenting strain on household budgets, the level of funding for the national food relief sector remains woefully inadequate. We are seeing unprecedented demand with long queues every day at our free supermarket, and many of the charities we support say they could take double the amount of food. Government action is long overdue.”

Through its pre-budget submission, the food relief sector has made the case for $50m per annum to be provided to the three organisations to help meet community need for food relief. This comprises $10m for additional capacity, $20m from each round of the Disaster Ready Fund and $20m for emergency food relief following a crisis or natural disaster.

Food Relief CEOs. Brianna Casey Foodbank Australia. Daniel Moorfield SecondBite. Ronni Kahn OzHarvest

What happens when the Interest Rate goes up?

The Foodbank Hunger Report 2023, revealed 35 percent of all mortgage holders and half of all renters experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months.

On the first Tuesday of every month, like many Australians across the country, we at Foodbank wait bated breath to see if the Reserve Bank of Australia will increase the Cash Rate or not. Why? Every time the decision is made to increase the Cash Rate, we see an increase in the number of people searching for food relief. This isn’t coincidence. It’s cause and effect.

Foodbank ‘Find Food’ Searched Against Cash Rate

With every Cash Rate or interest rate rise, we know the number of clicks on our Find Food button goes up.

The Find Food button takes you to Food Relief providers in your local community. It is often the first step for many who are struggling to put food on the table.

We have been tracking the hits to this very vital button against the monthly Cash Rate announcements since August 2022, and it’s plain to see there is a scary correlation of Australians sourcing food relief when that rate rise is announced.

Food is the pressure valve for many household budgets. It is often the first item people cut back on when trying to make ends meet, with 94 percent of those hurting coped through shifting spend on food and groceries.

If you or someone you know needs food relief, please don’t delay and hit that Find Food button.

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Young, employed, high earners going hungry

Monday 23^rd October, 3.7 million households went hungry in Australia in the past year, according to the Foodbank Hunger Report 2023, released today. That’s more than all the households in Sydney and Melbourne combined.

Foodbank Australia says the research highlights one glaringly obvious cause why 36 percent of Australian households are experiencing food insecurity: the cost-of-living crisis.

Food insecurity is now being experienced in homes it has never touched before, with 77 percent of food insecure households experiencing it for the first time in the past year.

The report confirms the face of hunger is changing. More than half of food insecure households have someone in paid work (60 percent), and those experiencing food insecurity for the first time are younger, with mid to higher incomes.

The research highlights what Foodbank sees first-hand every day; food is the pressure valve for the many households doing it tough. It is the most likely item to be sacrificed to make ends meet. Almost all (94 percent) of food insecure households tried to mitigate the cost-of-living pressures by reducing their spend on food and grocery items. Tactics included looking for sales and discounts or cheaper alternative and reducing eating out. In a move that may have future public health consequences, nearly half said they reduced their purchasing of fresh produce and protein.

Foodbank Australia CEO, Brianna Casey, says the cost of the most basic of rights – food and shelter, is now the most common cause of food insecurity in Australia.

“We have an increasing number of people struggling to secure adequate food and the housing crisis is only exacerbating the problem, with half of all renters and a third of all mortgage holders food insecure in the last 12 months.

“We are fast heading towards a reality where more than half the population will know what food insecurity is because they are experiencing it themselves. Almost one in two Australians have felt anxious about accessing adequate food or struggled to consistently access it. In a country where we produce enough food to feed our population three times over, this should not be happening.”

This week is Anti-Poverty Week and the food relief charity is advocating the Federal Government to use the Foodbank Hunger Report 2023 as a reference point in future policy settings underpinning poverty and inequality and to ensure the food relief sector is adequately resourced to respond to current and future levels of demand across Australia.

Foodbank Hunger Report 2023

The Great Dolmio Cookoff aims for 5,000 meals for people in need on the NSW Central Coast.

Date: 9 October 2023

Dolmio, Sodexo, and Foodbank have announced a renewed partnership for the week-long Great Dolmio Cookoff. The event is set to draw attention to World Food Day on 16 October – a day to raise awareness of global hunger and encourage action – while helping those in the NSW Central Coast community.

Data from Foodbank reveals that on any day in Australia, over half a million households are struggling to put food on the table¹. In response, Dolmio, is transforming its Central Coast production facility’s commercial R&D kitchen into a ‘Master Chef-worthy’ set for a meal-making marathon.

Over 100 members of the Dolmio team, along with staff from Sodexo, are volunteering their time. The team are aiming to make 1,000 meals a day, working three shifts a day throughout the week of 9-13 October.

Around 20 local charity partners within Foodbank Australia’s network – including Coast Shelter – will be collecting the prepared meals and distributing them directly to people in need of food relief.

Bill Heague, General Manager Mars Food & Nutrition Australia, said that he knows the importance of helping to put food on tables.

“Our best loved brands like Dolmio have been helping Australian’s to make meals for over 75 years – based here on the Central Coast,” Bill said.

“Dolmio is all about helping to inspire the small touches that can bring joy to our day-to-day lives. For many of us, that comes through the food we eat and who we eat it with – and that connection is something everyone should get to enjoy. However, sadly there are an increasing number of Australians, including in our own Central Coast, who are struggling with food insecurity. That’s why we are joining forces again with our generous partners to provide healthy cooked meals for people in need in our local community” he said.

Sodexo, an integrated facilities management services company with a base on the Central Coast, are providing support services and the key ingredients for the 5,000 meals.

Keith Weston, Sodexo Australia Managing Director, said the partnership builds on their global Stop Hunger initiative to address food insecurity and malnutrition.

“Sodexo is proud to team up with Dolmio and our national charity partner, Foodbank Australia, to address the growing demand for food relief,” Mr Weston said.

“In Australia alone, 2 million households experienced severe food insecurity in the last year. With this figure set to rise with the increased cost of living and inflation on everyday household goods, it is important that we act today to deliver a better tomorrow for our communities.”

“Our mission is to improve quality of life through our services, and we believe that quality of life only begins when basic needs are met. This annual event demonstrates tangible actions we can take to enhance the lives of our communities through collaboration and shared social responsibility,” he said.

The teams are cooking balanced and delicious meals with fresh ingredients including Dolmio Bolognese, MasterFoods Honey BBQ chicken and MasterFoods Beef Stroganoff.

Brianna Casey, Foodbank Australia CEO, said the organisation has never seen such a high demand for food relief.

“We could not do what we do without the support of our generous donors like Mars Food Australia and Sodexo who continue to help us get meals to where it’s needed in many communities throughout the country.”

Every $1 donated = 2 meals

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