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Ensuring food security in rural communities is vital for a healthy Australia

National Rural Health Alliance

As the Remote Food Security Roundtable is held in Alice Springs today, the National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) urges all political parties and candidates to commit to ensuring rural, regional and remote communities have access to affordable and fresh food to improve their health and wellbeing.

With the rising impacts of climate change, limited access to affordable food, and increasing economic hardships, committing to comprehensive and sustainable food security plans for rural communities needs to be a priority during this Federal Election period.

“About 90 per cent of the food we eat comes from rural Australia. We need to ensure that they receive dividends from their hard work. Yet, people in rural areas die 13.6 years earlier than those in urban areas. Food security is vital to make sure they live longer and live healthily.

“It is concerning that the newly announced government’s scheme on food security in rural Australia has chosen to subsidise only 30 products in 76 remote stores. This leaves out a huge section of rural communities who struggle every day with the rising cost of living, environmental impacts and worse health outcomes than urban areas. Recent figures show grocery prices in remote areas cost twice those in metropolitan areas. Rural Australians should be able to access healthy fresh food at accessible prices, similar to those who live in urban settings, in particular because rural Australia already produces 90 percent of Australia’s food,” said NRHA Chief Executive Susi Tegen.

“It is concerning that the government has not considered the health aspects when providing the subsidy as it even includes instant noodles and processed canned meat which we all know to have considerable health risks,” said Ms Tegen. “Ultra-processed foods are nutrition-poor and are linked to poorer health outcomes, such as chronic disease, poor oral health and lower wellbeing.”

NRHA welcomes the government’s focus on reducing food prices in remote areas with a commitment of $50 million over four years to subside some products. However, NRHA urges the government to consult community and industry stakeholders when deciding on policy and funding, to ensure that all rural, regional and remote communities benefit from any plans to improve their health and wellbeing.

We look forward to the outcomes of the industry roundtable in Alice Springs that seek to address the growing concerns of equitable food access, as well as political engagement, no matter which side,  to implement better food security strategies for the health of rural communities.

Rural Australia is grappling with climate disasters such as prolonged droughts, floods and bush fires, all of which are disrupting food production, food security and supply chains. At the same time, local agricultural industries are struggling under the weight of volatile market conditions and escalating production costs. “Addressing food security in rural Australia requires coordinated efforts across government, industry and community levels to ensure access to affordable, nutritious food while promoting sustainable agricultural practices,” Ms Tegen said.

About us:

The National Rural Health Alliance (the Alliance) comprises 53 national organisations committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the over 7 million people in rural and remote Australia. Our diverse membership includes representation from health professional organisations, health service providers, health educators, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector and students.

Contact details:

Kathya de Silva, Media and Communications Officer, National Rural Health Alliance, [email protected] 0470 487 608