Food Security

Food insecurity can lead to poor physical, mental and social health outcomes and can be affected by:

Food security is an issue in both the cities of Moonee Valley and Melbourne. Results of the Victorian Healthy Food Basket (VHFB) found 40% of a typical family’s income was required to purchase nutritionally adequate food for the family. This is well above the recommendation that food should not exceed 30% of income. The median healthy basket cost for a family consisting of 2 unemployed parents with two dependent children was $414.

Go to the Health West Partnership website to discover facts about food security in your area on the Food Security Fact Sheets.

Breastfeeding provides accessible and affordable (free!) food to infants as it requires no packaging or heating and is recommended by the World Health Organisation and National Medical Research Council to breastfeed for two years and beyond, as long as the mother and child wish to do so. For breastfeeding information and support (www.breastfeeding.asn.au)

Consider what you could do in your community to support others who have insecure access to food such as;