As the cost of cancer-fighting and heart-healthy broccoli rises to $9.50 a kilogram, hunger is becoming a normal part of everyday life for financially-stressed Tasmanians.
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Those aged in their twenties and thirties are more likely to skip meals because they are broke, while females, as well as people living alone, are more likely to be going hungry.
A new study by University of Tasmania researchers found almost half of all households are experiencing food insecurity to some degree, while one in five had severe levels of food scarcity and the associated nutrient deficient risk.
Food insecurity occurs when families are concerned about food running out, or when individuals choose less healthy food options due to budget constraints.
They are eating less vegetables, fruit, and dairy, and have less variety of these in their diet.
Food insecurity in its severe form is people going without.
While hunger is the immediate impact, the Tasmanian study raised questions about the risk of chronic disease and the future impact on health systems.
Cause of food insecurity in Tasmania
The report said food insecurity was on the rise in western countries.
It said recent inflation was also causing food insecurity levels to rise in Tasmania, compounded by a 13 per cent increase on the cost of fruits and vegetables.
A market outlook for broccoli by Hort Innovation showed broccoli cost $4.79 a kilo in February 2019, compared to $9.50 according to a current supermarket advertised price.
Capsicum was priced at $2.50 a kilogram, currently priced at $10.90 a kilogram.
While cauliflower was $3.96 a head it is now $4.20, and beans were $6.83 and now cost $7.90 a kilogram.
The study said since pre-pandemic, health food prices had increased by 18 per cent, which included a 13 per cent rise on fruit and vegetable prices.
It said better policy and increased government effort to improve diets of food insecure households was needed.
It called for sugar taxes and restrictions on junk food advertising to encourage healthy eating.
"As food insecurity is increasing across high-income countries, urgent efforts are required to improve diet quality in Australian adults experiencing any degree of food insecurity," it said.
"Even the food secure respondents in the current study were unable to meet dietary quality targets...[which] suggests that there is a substantial role for public health initiatives focused on nutrition education and policy actions to incentivise healthy eating choices."
