Due to the complexity of the issue, it is important to explore the dimensions of food insecurity and understand the underlying factors that lead to a household becoming food insecure. The lived experience of food insecurity is similarly complex and households may experience food insecurity on an ever-changing continuum ranging from mild, moderate or severe. Regular and consistent measurement of population food insecurity using robust tools will be important for understanding prevalence and the experience of food insecurity in Australia. With this information and through considering the different dimensions of food insecurity, we may uncover dynamic solutions to a complex problem.

Dimensions of food insecurity

There are many factors that determine if a household is food secure. These factors have been categorised into four major dimensions that can help to understand what can be a very complex issue. These dimensions include  availability, access and utilisation and the stability of these.

• Food availability refers to the reliability of food supply and the quality, variety and price of foods available through local outlets.
• Food access refers to the households physical and economic ability to access the food supply and procure the food they require
• Food utilisation refers to the ways that households use their physical, social, cultural and human resources to transform procured food into meals. This could include factors such as; food knowledge/literacy, available time and facilities for storage, refrigeration and cooking.
• Food stability refers to the consistency and sustainability of food availability, access and utilisation. In order for households to remain food secure, these dimensions need to remain stable over time and not change due to different stressors. This stability may be impacted by household resilience, or the stability of the broader food system (e.g. natural disaster (bushfires, cyclones, floods), pandemic, recession etc)

In 2020 the High-level Panel of Experts on Food and Nutrition Security included two additional dimensions of food insecurity

• Agency ‘refers to the capacity of individuals or groups to make their own decisions about what foods they eat, what foods they produce, how that food is produced, processed and distributed within food systems, and their ability to engage in processes that shape food system policies and governance’
• Sustainability refers ‘to the long-term ability of food systems to provide food security and nutrition in a way that does not compromise the economic, social and environmental bases that generate food security and nutrition for future generations.’

These dimensions are not isolated and often interact with one another. Households who are food insecure may experience strong barriers in one or all of these dimensions simultaneously.

Food security is often framed as an individual or household responsibility. Household food insecurity, however, stems from issues occurring at higher community and national levels. It has been well established that broader social, environmental and political determinants cause flow on effects that heavily impact the availability, affordability and utilisation of food at the household level. For example, economic factors such as  un- and under employment rates, job security, housing security,  cost of living and food affordability are significant determinants that have big impacts at the household level. When households have insufficient financial resources, other priorities including housing costs may reduce allocation of finances toward food. In these cases, when households have smaller disposable incomes, food affordability becomes even more integral. Household’s may have protective factors/strategies to increase individual food stability (e.g. food literacy/utilisation skills including budgeting, shopping strategies, food preparation), however food security is significantly impacted by factors out of the household’s control and therefore requires a collaborative commitment toward solutions.

Vulnerability to food insecurity

It is known that some groups are at greater risk of being food insecure including; low-income earners, single-parent households, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people who are socially or geographically isolated, older people, culturally and linguistically diverse groups and those experiencing homelessness. (2)

Due to the broad array of factors that contribute to food insecurity, there are many reasons why a household may become food insecure. Food insecurity is therefore not exclusive to these groups and many people may experience it at any point in their lifetime.

Due to irregular and inconsistent population measures, the exact number of people experiencing food insecurity in Australia is difficult to determine. Measuring food insecurity at a national level has occurred intermittently by the Australian Bureau of Statistics through using a single-or two-item measure. This measure asks survey participants “‘In the last 12 months was there any time you have run out of food and not been able to purchase more?'. For those who responded yes, a follow up question assesses if households have gone without food. From these responses, the most recent data from the 2011–2012 Australian Health Survey, indicated that 4% of Australians were living in a household that was food insecure and 1.5% had gone without food.

Measuring food insecurity through this survey captures a representative sample of Australians however concerns with the frequency and robustness of the measure have been raised. This measure focuses on the financial attributions of running out of food and may only capture the most severe cases. The prevalence of food insecurity in Australia is likely to be grossly underestimated. A 2020 overview of food insecurity predicted that the number of Australians experiencing food insecurity is expected to be between 4% and 13%. (2) The complexity of the issue, with varying levels of severity, suggests that single-or two-item measures currently used are not adequate for capturing a true representation of prevalence. In addition, they are not able to capture the spectrum of the lived experience of food insecurity and severity of food insecurity. (3)

Other high income countries, including the United States and Canada, conduct regular monitoring and surveillance of food security using robust multi-item tools that capture prevalence and allow for a deeper understanding of experience and severity. An example of one of these tools is the 18-item U.S. Department of Agriculture  ‘Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM). Through this, survey participants can report a range of experiences from worry and anxiety about running out of food to having to go days without eating due to financial restraints. Within Australia, more frequent, national surveillance through these gold standard measures is an important next step for addressing food insecurity. This has been advocated by some Australian researchers who have utilised these multi-item tools whilst also applying qualitative methods (E.g. Interviews, PhotoStory). This mixed method approach has enabled researchers to capture prevalence whilst also exploring the dimensions of food security more deeply and highlight resilience shown through coping strategies. (4) Some examples of this research are included on our resource page. Refer to the ‘Share Collaboration’ page to learn more about these researchers.

The experience of food insecurity has been likened to walking a tightrope, where navigating household food decisions was a constant balance. (4) At any point in time, internal (e.g. income changes, unexpected expenses) or external (E.g. food supply, economy, pandemic) factors may trigger the onset of food insecurity or push the household deeper into the experience. (4) Instability of these factors can mean that households may experience food insecurity on occasion (transitory), usually in response to a short-term shock (e.g. unexpected bill, medical expense), or can be in constant (chronic) state of food insecurity. (2)

The continuum of food insecurity also means households may experience this in mild, moderate, or severe forms. When access to food becomes unstable or unpredictable, households are likely to experience worry and anxiety. As severity increases, the quality and variety of food consumption reduces putting households at greater risk of micronutrient deficiencies. In most severe cases, the total amount consumed decreases and eating patterns are routinely altered causing regular feelings of hunger and greater risk of health conditions. (2) Different members of the same household can experience food insecurity in different ways.  Due to the stigma of being unable to afford food, this issue has both physical and psychological health impacts. Stress, shame, embarrassment, and concern are common emotions that are associated with this experience and accessing emergency food relief can deepen these feelings. (5)

Looking closer into the experience has also highlighted the resilience shown by those who are food insecure. When food access becomes uncertain, many households are able to adapt and adopt a range of coping strategies. (4) Resourcefulness and skills for budgeting, planning, purchasing, and preparing food with fewer resources are helpful for buffering the effect of food insecurity. These strengths can provide some level of protection and potentially decrease severity, however are not sufficient for preventing food insecurity altogether. (4)

Food insecurity has many determinants which means there is no one solution. Considering the issue in different contexts and related to different dimensions is important.

The way food insecurity is framed determines the way communities and governments respond. When households are held individually responsible for ensuring that they remain food secure, solutions to food insecurity may revolve around building individual resilience including increasing food literacy and skills around food budgeting and preparation. In comparison, the perspective that food is a human right provokes action from governing bodies to address equity issues. (6)

In high income countries like Australia, the dominant response to food insecurity has been the provision of emergency food relief. (7) Food assistance models that empower and offer dignified food assistance can be important for emergency relief and connecting households with broader support services. (5) These types of community interventions may alleviate some of the more immediate consequences of food insecurity however do not offer pathways out of food insecurity. (6)

Alongside these food assistance programs, further solutions that work to shift the key determinants of food insecurity at the community and population level, are needed to increase food stability. (7) ‘Food and nutrition sensitive’ solutions that aim to influence these underlying social determinants of food security and reduce social and economic inequality are important. These may include regulating employment and labour conditions, supporting affordable housing, increasing access to education and enhancing social welfare programs. In addition, ‘Food and nutrition specific’ solutions that address daily decisions regarding food are also required to build autonomy and enable food choice in socially acceptable ways. These may include interventions such as price promotions and subsidies to address food affordability and other food assistance programs that prioritise nutrition.

In order to achieve these types of changes, the responsibility and participation in delivering solutions needs to be extended beyond the existing  predominant reliance on the charitable food sector. Routine measurement of food insecurity using robust measures is an important step to calling attention to government and other key organisations to what is largely a hidden issue in Australia.

Food insecurity is complex and has many determinants. Solutions that reach beyond the individual households experiencing household food insecurity and consider these broader determinants of food insecurity is important. In order to do this, a collaborative effort is needed.

^References

^{1.HLPE. 2020. Food security and nutrition: building a global narrative towards 2030. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security, Rome.}

^{2.Bowden M. Understanding food insecurity in Australia. 2020}

^{3.McKechnie R, Turrell G, Giskes K, Gallegos D. Single‐item measure of food insecurity used in the National Health Survey may underestimate prevalence in Australia. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health. 2018 Aug;42(4):389-95.}

^{4. Kleve S, Booth S, Davidson ZE, Palermo C. Walking the food security tightrope—exploring the experiences of low-to-middle income melbourne households. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2018 Oct;15(10):2206;}

^{5. Pollard CM, Booth S. Addressing food and nutrition security in developed countries. 2019 Jul;16(13): 2370; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132370}

^{6. Pollard CM, Booth S. Food insecurity and hunger in rich countries—it is time for action against inequality. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2019 Jan;16(10):1804.}

^{7.  Yii V, Palermo C, Kleve S. Population‐based interventions addressing food insecurity in Australia: a systematic scoping review. Nutrition & Dietetics. 2020 Feb;77(1):6-18.}