Food Security

Public Health Services is committed to the health and wellbeing of all Tasmanians, through supporting a safe, nutritious, accessible, and affordable food supply for all. We recognise and value the broader social and emotional roles of community food programs, in addition to the essential role they play in providing food.

Resources

For GP’s who have come to this page from a Clinical Pathway some of the following resources may be suitable for people who have identified as food insecure.

Information to support community members to access food relief:

• Ask Izzy service finder is an Australian online service finder platform to find local services. 
• Find Help Tas is a Tasmanian online service finder platform to find local services.
• Housing Connect a one-stop shop for housing and support needs. Call 1800 800 588
• Child and Family Learning Centres are where families with children aged from birth to five years can go to access a range of services. There are currently 12 centres around Tasmania with more on the way.
• Neighbourhood Houses are places where people come together and find support, belonging and purpose. There are 35 Neighbourhood Houses around Tasmania. Find one near you https://www.nht.org.au/neighbourhood-houses-tasmania
• Help for Young People – search for local youth services via Find Help Tas

Downloadable resources and links to simple meal ideas with more affordable ingredients. 

For families

• Pantry basics
• Food for under 5s
• Families Tasmania ABC123 Recipes

For older people

• Healthy Aging

Advocacy

For community organisations, local government and emergency food relief organisations:

• Healthy Tasmania Strategy 2022-26  this is the Government’s plan for preventive health in Tasmania.
• Food Security Strategy 2021-24 from relief to resilience and Action Plan (2023)  
• Food for all Tasmanians - A Food Security Strategy was Tasmania’s first food security strategy. Released in 2012, it was the first whole of state food security strategy in Australia.
• The Tasmanian Project. COVID and food security research. Reports available:
  • The Tasmanian Project Food Security Report - June 2020
  • The Tasmanian Project Food Security Report - June 2021
• Local Government Association Tasmania recognises the role of local governments have in making healthy food accessible, affordable, and available in communities.
• Healthy Food Access Tasmania  for resources and case studies supported by Eat Well Tasmania.

Food security 2020 and beyond – needs assessment project findings

Public Health Services, Tasmanian Department of Health, collected stories about food insecurity in 2020-2021 to understand what was happening across the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We collected stories through interviews, online survey, and via email from a diverse range of organisations in the community food provision and emergency food relief sectors. We would like to thank you to everyone who took the time to talk to us.

View the Food Security in 2020 and beyond summary (part one)

View the Food Security Needs Assessment

Healthy Tasmania in action

Healthy Tasmania has funded several initiatives to help build community food resilience:

See Healthy Tasmania Fund Video Stories for an example of one such project - The Jordan River Service provides affordable, healthy food to many people in their local communities, and across Southern Tasmania. Information about more funded projects will be added in 2022.

For future funding opportunities follow the Healthy Tasmania Facebook page or visit Healthy Tasmania

More information

Please contact us at [email protected]