Diet cost and affordability in Queensland
Since 2023, Health and Wellbeing Queensland has monitored the cost and affordability of food and drinks in locations across Queensland. In remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, factors such as geographical isolation, housing issues, limited economic opportunities, harsh climate, and long, complex supply chains can make it harder to access affordable, quality and healthy food.
How we measure diet cost and affordability
Health and Wellbeing Queensland uses the Healthy Diets Australian Standardised Affordability and Pricing (Healthy Diets ASAP) protocol to calculate the fortnightly cost of 2 diets:
- A healthy diet based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines
- A usual (less healthy) diet, including items such as takeaway and alcohol
Diet cost and affordability are worked out relative to a 6-person Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander multi-generation household made up of older people, adults and children. This household type is used because larger households are more likely to experience food insecurity, and it is considered most representative of the remote communities included in the project.
Affordability is measured against two widely used benchmarks:
- Food stress – diet cost is more than 25% of household income
- Food is unaffordable – diet cost is more than 30% of household income
This project provides important information on diet-related cost of living pressures across Queensland and helps identify areas at greatest risk of food insecurity. The findings help inform advocacy, decision making and future strategies and efforts to improve access to affordable, healthy food for all Queenslanders.
Reports and publications
Contact
If you have questions about Gather + Grow, or are interested in working with us to progress food security, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us at hwqld_gathergrow@hw.qld.gov.au.
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