OzHarvest’s Frontline Report 2026 paints a grim picture of the Australian food insecurity crisis, revealing more than 74,000 people are turned away from food support every month, as frontline charities struggle to cope with rising demand.
The report draws on 875 frontline charities across Australia, supported with food by OzHarvest, or on the waitlist. Almost a third of these charities report needing more food to meet demand, with 70 per cent of those surveyed reporting an increase in those seeking support over the past 12 months, and over 1600 charities on OzHarvest’s waitlist.
Charities report that without OzHarvest’s free food delivery, 43 per cent would have to scale back their services, and more than half say they would be unable to collect food at all.
Australia produces enough food to feed 70 million people, but the data indicates that between 1.3-3.7 million households are in food stress. OzHarvest’s report showed 36 per cent of those accessing support are new faces, likely seeking relief for the first time.
Foodbank’s 2025 Hunger Report found one in three Australian households are now experiencing food insecurity – lacking regular access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to support an active and healthy life.
OzHarvest founder, Ronni Kahn, said Australians are sacrificing buying food just to get by, as stagnant wages, soaring housing costs, energy bills, and a fuel crisis swallow the entire paycheck – an impossible position for any family to be in.
“Unfortunately, for many households food is the only flexible option in their shrinking budgets. We know right now people are faced with choosing between food and fuel,” said Kahn.
“Alarmingly, children are now one of the largest groups accessing food relief as they bear the brunt of food insecurity. Schools have reported they are increasingly acting as the last safety net that can support children, as they arrive hungry and struggling to learn on empty stomachs. Teachers are buying food for students out of their own pockets.”
The OzHarvest Frontline Survey closed 1 March 2026, with a subsequent pulse survey conducted on 15 April revealing 69 per cent of charities reported a further increase in people seeking relief since March, and average demand up by an additional 31 per cent – due to the critical impact of fuel, diesel, and fertiliser experiencing surging costs and supply constraints from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Organisations such as the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) held emergency food security appeals due to rising fuel costs being passed down the supply chain and increasing demand placed on the organisation’s foodbank services.
OzHarvest CEO, James Goth, said demand spikes for food relief are the canary in the coalmine for household stress, highlighting a broken food system – and that demand has escalated an additional 31 per cent since the beginning of March due to the fuel crisis and supply chain disruptions.
“One in five people are being turned away because the support system is under-resourced. The charities we deliver food to are working hard to support their local communities, but two thirds say they need more to meet demand,” said Goth.
“For the first time in OzHarvest’s history, our waitlist is longer than the list of charities we can currently reach. The measure of success of a national food strategy should be simple – are fewer Australians going hungry?”
The report includes specific policy recommendations and a call to action from OzHarvest, urging federal, state and territory governments to come to the table as the sector faces unprecedented pressure. These include addressing the core drivers of food insecurity including income support and housing affordability, providing targeted support for children through universal school meals and food literacy education, and recognising food relief as critical social support infrastructure.
The call comes as the federal government continues consultation on Australia's national food security strategy (Feeding Australia), led by the recently-appointed National Food Council, with a final strategy anticipated in early 2027. A national food supply chain assessment is also underway, following the impact of trade disruptions from conflict in the Middle East.
For further insights and to read the full OzHarvest Frontline Report 2026, head to ozharvest.org.
