Darwin resident Leah Potter has been budget grocery shopping, after breaking her leg last year and having to pause work.<\/p>\n
Her injury and pre-existing disability mean she must get her shopping delivered.<\/p>\n
But, in her recent orders, she noticed an additional fee.<\/p>\n
“I have this strict budget \u2014 when I’m not working \u2014 of how much money I can spend on food each week, and that doesn’t change,” she said.<\/p>\n
“So, when they put up their delivery from $10 to $18, I just had to choose $8 less [of] groceries.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Leah Potter, who has experienced food insecurity firsthand, says the cost of having groceries delivered is rising. (ABC News: Michael Donnelly)<\/p>\n
As cost-of-living pressures soar, a few dollars can make a difference at the check-out.<\/p>\n
Ms Potter has been using many cost-saving measures \u2014 like cutting meat products out of her grocery list \u2014 but she still struggles to bring her expenses within budget.<\/p>\n
“I buy half-price specials, and what I’ve noticed is the cost of half-price specials is the cost it used to be at full price,” she said.<\/p>\n
Shoppers around Australia will have noticed their grocery bills swelling in recent year. (ABC News: Courtney Withers)<\/p>\n
Ms Potter says at the Top End soup kitchen she runs, patronage has shifted in the last few years.<\/p>\n
“We used to mostly see desperately poor-looking homeless people, now we’re getting families, people you wouldn’t expect at a homeless kitchen,” she said.<\/p>\n
Food insecurity a growing problem<\/p>\n
According to Foodbank’s 2025 Hunger Report, released on Wednesday, 20 per cent of Australian households experienced “severe food insecurity”, defined as skipping meals or whole days of eating, in the year up to July 2025 \u2014 a 1 per cent increase on the previous year.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Inflation has left many struggling to afford basic groceries. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)<\/p>\n
The food relief organisation’s report also found almost one in two of all renting households had experienced food insecurity in the past year, as had one in five households with an annual income of over $91,000.<\/p>\n
Overall, one in three Australian households \u2014 almost 3.5 million \u2014 faced food insecurity over the last year, as high costs hit everyday Australians hard.<\/p>\n
Foodbank Darwin manager Jack Barrett said he saw a wide range of demographics shopping at the organisation’s local hub, where surplus groceries could be bought for a fraction of their original retail value.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jack Barrett manages the Foodbank shop in Darwin. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)<\/p>\n
“Food insecurity comes in all shapes and forms,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Often, it means making different nutritional choices to suit your budget \u2014 or skipping meals even, from time to time.”<\/p>\n
“In many cases, it’s parents that will sacrifice for their children.”<\/p>\n
He said the Darwin hub had been kept busy, especially over the past year, as families struggled to make ends meet and keep food on the table.<\/p>\n
“Interestingly, 60 per cent of all households that utilise a Foodbank do have some kind of employment,” Mr Barrett said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jack Barrett says food insecurity is impacting a broad range of people. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)<\/p>\n
Measures failing to provide relief<\/p>\n