Christmas bites with one in three people skipping meals to save money

Christmas will be a struggle for many families as parents and pet-owners frequently skip meals to make ends meet.

Every Tuesday SecondBite provides around 12 boxes and two eskies of fresh fruit and vegetables, canned goods, meats, dairies and other essentials to The Murri School.

The current cost of living crisis means Christmas will be a struggle for many families as parents and pet-owners frequently skip meals to make ends meet – despite­ a staggering 7.6 billion kilos of food ending up in landfill each year.

Foodbank’s 2023 Hunger Report paints a bleak picture with the number of Australians experiencing food insecurity rising from 20 per cent to 36 per cent in just one year. That equates to one in three people, or about 383,000 households now doing it tough.

One in three people are experiencing food insecurity. Picture: Supplied

SecondBite, which is a national food rescue and redistribution charity conducted research that found 90 per cent of parents skipped meals so their children don’t go hungry and 85 per cent of pet owners would rather not eat than see their pets go without and families forced to choose between food and medications or rent or mortgage repayments.

“We don’t believe people should have to choose who eats in their family when Australia has more than 7.6 billion kilos of food go to waste each year,” said SecondBite’s CEO, Daniel Moorfield.

That’s enough to fill semi-trailers stretching from Sydney to Perth. SecondBite also rescues almost 25 million kilos of quality fruit and vegetables, pantry items, protein and dairy from going to landfill.

SecondBite redistributes 7.6 billion kilos of food, which would otherwise go to landfill. Picture: Supplied

The research, conducted by YouGov, reported 48 per cent of Aussies skipped at least one meal a week due to economic hardship.

“We see first-hand that more people are turning to food relief as they run out of options. With one in three Australians now food insecure, our research highlights just how bad the problem is. Not surprisingly parents and pet owners are putting their dependants first with no choice but to go without themselves.”

SecondBite also works with schools across the country, including The Aboriginal and Islander Independent Community School (also known as The Murri School) in Brisbane.

Just 68 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children make it to year 12 compared to 90 per cent of non-indigenous students. With 39 per cent of First Nations people reporting that their household had days without money for basic living expenses in the last 12 months, chances are many Indigenous kids are coming to school without breakfast and face an empty lunch box come recess.

Every Tuesday SecondBite provides around 12 boxes and two eskies of fresh fruit and vegetables, canned goods, meats, dairies and other essentials to The Murri School (Brisbane) which are then sorted and, made up into individual food parcels for families doing it tough. Picture: Supplied

Jeff Locke, Community Engagement Coordinator at The Murri School sees first-hand when students are unable to concentrate and participate as a result of inadequate meals.

“We notice when students are tired and struggling to do their best because they’re not getting consistent quality nutritious meals which means their energy is low,” said Locke.

“Good education goes beyond textbooks, and we’re committed to a holistic approach. When our kids don’t know where their next meal is coming from, we do what we can to help. At the end of the day we just want to provide an equal playing field for all the kids at our school and make sure no one goes without.”

Originally published as Christmas bites with one in three people skipping meals to save money