Wide Bay-Burnett farmers contributed more than one third of Foodbank’s 3.6 million kilograms of fresh produce last year

January 29, 2018

Wide Bay-Burnett farmers were Foodbank’s biggest suppliers last year, according to the Queensland Farmer’s Federation (QFF).

They donated millions of dollars worth of oversized, misshapen or slightly chipped produce which had been rejected by retail markets and would otherwise have been wasted.

Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief organisation, and last year it distributed 3.6 million kilograms of fresh produce from Queensland farms to struggling families.

The Wide Bay-Burnett region’s farmers were Foodbank’s largest single supplier, donating 1.3 million kilograms of unwanted food.

Foodbank acts as a pantry for 300 charities and community groups that deliver about 60,000 meals a day to vulnerable Queenslanders.

However, Foodbank has warned the need for donated fresh produce is growing.

This is because food insecurity has been increasing due to cost of living pressures and negligible wages growth.

In the past 12 months, the number of new recipients has grown by 13 per cent, and now 3 in 5 people who are food insecure seek assistance at least once a month.

This growth has resulted in Foodbank needing 35 per cent more food to meet current demands.

“A common misconception when understanding food insecurity is confining it to being simply an issue affecting our urban communities,” a QFF spokesperson said.

“Hardship and hunger in our regional and rural communities is 11 per cent more likely than in urban areas.”

Fruit and vegetables, meat, grain and milk are all commodities that Foodbank need to supply to frontline charities.

To help Foodbank, visit their website


 

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