Food security is a growing problem for Australian families, according to a new state government report, with remote communities the worst affected.
The Food production and supply in NSW report, from the NSW Legislative Assembly’s Committee on Environment and Planning, found food supply disruption was a driver of food insecurity, and that remote communities were unfairly burdened by the problem.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said there were some promising ideas in the report, including getting more ‘ugly’ produce on supermarket shelves, but he warned words alone would not tackle the problem.
“We’ve seen otherwise good food rejected by retailers because of superficial standards that don’t reflect the nutritional value of the food itself, so these changes would be a good thing,” Mr Martin said.
“But while the report says ‘urban agriculture’ could fill the food security gap, a veggie patch and a backyard chook or two just won’t cut it – we know there’s a major need for better planning and better policies to support the Australian farmers that underpin our food supply.
“Community gardens and urban agriculture are great ways to educate communities about food production, but they cannot meet the sheer demand on their own.”
The state government report comes on the heels of the latest Foodbank Hunger Report, which revealed only 55 per cent of Australians were highly food secure; it found a shocking two million Australians experienced severe food insecurity in the past 12 months. The Committee report recommended action on food waste and getting “ugly” produce to supermarket shelves as a way to get more food onto plates, but found more and more Australians were disconnected from where their food came from, recommending better education and in-school initiatives help to improve “food literacy”. It also identified a clear role for better local and state government planning to support improved food security and supply.
“On the one hand you have a state government talking about getting more healthy food onto dinner plates, but on the other hand you have potential water buybacks at a federal level that could prevent farmers from growing that food,” Mr Martin said.
“Our politicians need to remember that farms equal food – we grow healthy plants and healthy animals and produce food and fibre – but to do that we need supportive policies.
“When they talk about water buybacks, they need to be honest about who will go hungry as a result.”
