Australia’s Hidden Hunger Crisis: Why Food Security Is Everyone’s Business
When the pantry is full, it’s easy to believe everyone’s is.
But across Australia, more and more families are quietly going hungry — even in households where someone is working, paying rent, and doing everything “right”.
The Foodbank Australia Hunger Report 2025 reveals a stark reality: for millions of Australians, putting food on the table is no longer guaranteed.
The Alarming Numbers
According to the report, one in three Australian households (33%) experienced food insecurity in the past year. That’s around 3.7 million households struggling to afford or access enough food to meet their needs.
Even more distressing:
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61% of those households are severely food insecure, meaning people regularly skip meals or go entire days without eating.
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48% of renters are food insecure — up from 43% the previous year.
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Rising living costs, soaring rents, and increased grocery prices are pushing even employed families to the edge.
(Source: Foodbank Hunger Report 2025)
The Hidden Inequality: Disability and Food Insecurity
Here’s the statistic that should stop us all in our tracks:
67% of households that include a person with disability or chronic illness experience food insecurity — and three-quarters of those face severe food insecurity.
For families living with disability, financial and emotional pressures are multiplied. Ongoing care costs, therapy, transport, equipment, and reduced income opportunities mean food budgets are often the first to feel the strain.
Behind those numbers are parents choosing between groceries and medication. Carers skipping meals so a loved one doesn’t have to. Adults with disabilities rationing their weekly food shop because prices keep climbing.
Food insecurity isn’t a matter of poor choices — it’s the result of systems that make daily essentials increasingly unaffordable for those already managing more than their fair share.
It’s Closer Than You Think
For leaders and employers, this isn’t a distant social issue. It could be affecting people you know — your employees, your suppliers, even your customers.
The Foodbank report found that a significant proportion of food-insecure households have at least one member in paid work. So while productivity, wellbeing, and workplace culture are top priorities for many organisations, basic nutrition is becoming a struggle for the people who make those businesses run.
More Than Meals: What Food Security Really Means
At Dinner on the Table, we see every day how access to good food changes lives.
When a family can sit down to a healthy, home-cooked meal — even on their hardest days — it restores something deeper than hunger. It restores connection, dignity, and hope.
That’s why our mission is simple but powerful:
To care for people through good food.
We do this by:
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Providing ready-made meals that ease the daily load for families under pressure.
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Catering community and corporate events that bring people together — with every booking contributing to our social impact.
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Creating inclusive employment for people in life transitions and partnering with organisations that build purpose, income, and belonging.
Because food security isn’t just about calories. It’s about care.
What Can You Do?
This crisis can’t be solved by any single business or charity. But together, we can make a difference.
Ask yourself:
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What can your business, team, or community do to help?
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Can you support local food programs, social enterprises, or community kitchens?
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Could you review your catering, procurement, or staff wellbeing policies through a social impact lens?
The Foodbank report is a wake-up call. But it’s also an invitation to act.
Every meal shared is an act of care.
If you’d like to learn more about how Dinner on the Table is responding — or how your organisation can partner with us to make a difference — contact us at info@dinneronthetable.com.au or on (+61) 0403 688 486 www.dinneronthetable.com.au..
Together, we can ensure every family, in every community, has food on the table and hope in their hearts.
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