food Archives - Glycerine Queen Media

How can this happen in Australia in 2024?

According to the ABC, 1.3 million Australian children live with food insecurity. Going to school hungry is detrimental to a child’s learning. Fortunately, one school is combatting this.

Alexandra Hills State School, Queensland teamed up with not – for – profit, Eat Up to provide students with a free lunch.

Principal, Scott Ward explained the program as:

[It’s] really a vehicle for the kids to know that we care and that our community cares about them, no matter what, whether they can afford food or they can’t.

(‘Children experiencing food insecurity can face challenges at school. Some groups and principals are changing that’. Stephanie Felsina, ABC News, 9 September 2024)

The school is incredibly humble and wants their students to ask for food without shame:

I think the most important thing for us is we don’t make a big deal of it, because we want our kids to know that they can come to a staff member without shame.

Food insecurity leads to absenteeism

A few months ago, ABC’s Four Corners raised alarm about children being too anxious to go to school.

Living with food insecurity is a common reason for children not attending school.

In 2018, Foodbank revealed that one in three parents lived with food insecurity. When parents struggle with finances, essentials are sacrificed. It’s food vs rent. Or electricity bill vs school expenses.

Heartbreakingly, children who live in poverty face bullying when they do go to school. Parents also told Foodbank they realised mood and behavioural changes in their children due to hunger.

Conversely, founder of Eat Up, Lyndon Galea has seen an increase of attendance since partnering with Alexandra Hill School.

Schools also reached out to other charities, such as Y (formerly YMCA), to help provide food for students. Like Mr. Ward, Y aims to destigmatise children reaching out when in need.

Touching stories exposes national shame

Alexandra High Schol and charities should be commended for providing food to hungry children. However, it exposes a national shame.

The media in Australia is flooded with reports of the cost of living crisis. There have also been reports of major supermarkets, most infamously, Woolworths, being condemned for falsely advertising ‘specials’. Social media users exposed the supermarket giant for price gouging and exploiting the cost of living crisis.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), has launched legal action against Woolworths and Coles, accusing them of raising prices and falsely promoting them as specials.

It’s disgusting how supermarket giants, power companies and, ultimately the Australian Government has created this situation. It’s disgusting that children don’t have the means to have their basic needs met. We’re not talking about a twelve – year – old wanting the latest PlayStation, PARENTS CAN’T AFFORD TO FEED THEIR CHILDREN! It’s such an outrage with plenty of blame to go around.

So, what can be done? Until the Government gets its act together, maybe you can support an Australian charity. The Smith Family directly helps children in poverty attend school.

Young children sitting down at a fable eating friit from lunchboxes — Image: iStock

This is infuriating.

According to Herald Sun, some childcare centres spend A65c on food per child. The food is often low in nutritional value.

Some childcare coordinators and cooks admitted that they never spent more than A$5.00 of food a day. Some spent as little as A$2.15. That includes snacks.

A Newscorp investigation revealed food offered children included: bread and butter and packet pasta. None of the food had any protein.

In a United Workers Union survey, 2o% of directors and cooks thought the food budget wasn’t enough. 60% of respondents even bought food for the children out of their own pocket.

In a private Facebook group, a commenter fumed:

I feed my dog more a a day than the budget I get. If parents knew they’d be appalled.

Dietitian from University of Queensland, Bonnie Searle witnessed children asking for seconds, but the food had run out.

Searle also saw deceptive menus. Menus would advertise “gourmet sandwiches”, only for children to be offered Vegemite or jam sandwiches.

Sometimes, childcare providers gave children fruit that had become brown and slimy.

Searle condemned centres for lack of nutrition:

A big plate of fruit is not going to keep children full. They need some fat and protein. The food groups we did not see enough of were vegetables and meat.

Children who don’t get enough food or the right nutrition ran the risk of not being able to regulate their emotions or concentrate.

Could this be contributing to rise in in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses? Now, I do believe this is a genuine disorder, but it does make you wonder.

Why don’t parents just pack children food?

When I was reading about this, some people asked why can’t parents just pack their children food? Well, apparently, many centres don’t allow it for fears of allergic reactions.

If this is the case, then everyone is in a no – win situation.

It’s not good enough.

End private childcare and have it properly funded

People have told me a lack of food in childcare is neither surprising or uncommon. Coordinators of private childcare centres put profits over the well – being of children.

If this is the case, there is one solution. The government has to fund childcare 100%. No more private providers. They obviously can’t be regulated properly. This goes for the aged care sector as well.

When people bring this up, protesters complain and ask why should they pay for other people’s children? So what if you don’t have children? Do you have nieces? Nephews? Children of friends who call you their cool “aunt” or “uncle”?

I don’t have children. Most adults, including myself want to see children thrive. Children need a healthy environment, including healthy food.

The National Quality Standard

In 2010, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) introduced the National Quality Standard. These were very strict and very detailed.

Since the Liberal National/ Coalition Party has been in power, these standards have been watered down. While Standard 2.1 covers a “healthy lifestyle”, there is no specific demand that a childcare provider must provided healthy food or water, like it did when the Australian Labor Party were in power.

Maybe they should at least bring that standard back. And hold ALL centres to that standard. Children deserve it.

What do you think about childcare? What improvements should be made? Do you think they should all be government run? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.