Our rural communities are some of the best agricultural areas in the world. Why is it so hard for them to access fresh food?
Josiah van Niekerk has a steady job in a senior position with the Colac Salvation Army, serving an ever-growing number of households seeking food and essentials.
Now, Deakin University researchers are trying to understand why many residents in rural Australia struggle to access healthy food despite often living in areas surrounded by agriculture and food production. They say food grown in rural communities is typically destined for Melbourne, even if it is brought back and sold in local supermarkets.
Deakin University researcher Cindy Needham is trying to help rural communities eat less fast food and get better access to fresh produce.She is leading a team of researchers analysing access to healthy food in the Colac Otway Shire in Victoria, and Tamworth Regional Council in New South Wales, to understand how rural communities can better feed themselves.
A Deakin University food monitoring tool showed the Colac Otway Shire had 25 unhealthy food outlets per 10,000 head of population, compared with 5.1 healthy food outlets in 2019. There are now at least four major fast food outlets near each other in Colac, including a McDonald’s. However, a McDonald’s spokeswoman said “Maccas is more than a restaurant”, in regional communities.
Needham’s research team is working with communities to co-design a web-based tool that will be available as an app or online to understand where they buy their food. Charity FoodShare this week called for donations before Christmas in the Albury Wodonga region, saying 15,000 out of 40,000 local households were either worried about running out of food, “compromising on meal choices” or even skipping meals.
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