The Lucky Country has become The Hungry Country, Foodbank Australia has warned, with the Foodbank Hunger Report 2026 finding one in three households have experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months.

This equates to 3.6 million households going hungry – 100,000 more than in 2025 – according to Foodbank Australia’s research.

The Foodbank Hunger Report 2026 shows food insecurity is now not only seemingly entrenched across Australia, but is also increasingly systemic, impacting middle income households.

“Sadly, hunger has become part of the Australian story,” said Foodbank Australia CEO, Kylea Tink.

“If one person from every food insecure household stood in a queue one metre apart, that line would stretch from Sydney to Perth. In a country like Australia, we should not accept this as our new normal.”

Changing profile

Nearly seven in ten (69%) food-insecure households experienced food insecurity for the first time in the past year. Food insecure households with a part-time or casual worker, have reached a new historical high of 42%, showing a steady upward trend since 2024.

Concerningly, the Foodbank Hunger Report 2026 reveals that the profile of hunger in Australia is changing. The research shows 37% of middle-income households, earning between $33,800 – $90,999 per year, are food insecure with 23% of this cohort severely food insecure.

“A wage used to be what kept food on the table, but for a growing number of working Australians their pay packet no longer stretches that far,” Ms Tink said. “These are our friends, colleagues and neighbours, and many never imagined they would need a helping hand to feed their families.”

Meanwhile, households with children are among the hardest hit (with 45% reporting they had experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months). Almost half of all households with children (45%) and of younger households aged 18 to 34 (48%) are food insecure – with 60% of single parent households reporting food insecurity.

“People should not have to choose between putting a roof over their head or putting food on the table,” Ms Tink said. “We’re hearing of parents going without just to make sure their children can eat. This is unacceptable and we must do something about it.”

Support needed

Foodbank Australia has welcomed the federal government’s $700,000 in surge funding, announced on 11 October. It has also called on the federal government to work alongside state and territory governments to establish a national minimum standard for school breakfast programs, ensuring every Australian child has access to a nutritious breakfast at school by 2030.

Foodbank is also calling on corporate Australia and philanthropy to act.

“In a nation as prosperous as Australia, one in three households going hungry simply doesn’t pass the pub test,” Ms Tink said.

“The findings in this report demand more than concern from corporate Australia. One dollar can put two meals on the table. Food relief organisations cannot solve this alone, we need government, business, philanthropists and communities to step up to the plate. Together, we must invest in immediate relief while addressing the structural causes of food insecurity.”