Janine Freeman: Food insecurity driving ill health and obesity in West Australians

As the wet season rolls into northern WA, the annual migration begins. A convoy of red-dusted caravans snakes southward, chasing cooler air and fresher produce. Behind every sunburnt two-finger wave is a story — of sky-high grocery bills, bare supermarket shelves, and the desperate search for something green that isn’t a potato chip.

For many, this is a seasonal inconvenience. For thousands of West Australians living in regional and remote communities, it’s a year-round crisis.

Food insecurity — the lack of reliable access to safe, nutritious food — affected more than 370,000 people in WA in 2024. And if you live outside the metro area, your odds of going hungry are 30 per cent higher. This isn’t just about empty stomachs. It’s about malnutrition, stunted childhood development, and chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart conditions, all made worse by diets driven by cost, not choice.

WA’s food system is uniquely challenged. Our State spans over 2.5 million square kilometres, and more than 80 per cent of our supermarket goods arrive via long, fragile supply chains from the east. By the time food reaches our most isolated communities, it’s often expensive, poor in quality, or simply unavailable.

Running a regional food store is no easy feat. High freight costs, unpredictable deliveries, and limited infrastructure all drive up prices and reduce variety. The result? Families forced to choose between skipping meals or settling for cheap, nutrient-poor options.

To their credit, decision-makers haven’t ignored the problem. The State shipping and supply chain taskforce, the national strategy for food security in remote First Nations communities and expanded school breakfast programs are all steps in the right direction. But they’re not enough.

We need more than piecemeal solutions.

We need a bold, unified commitment to redesign WA’s food system into one that prioritises equity, climate sustainability, resilience, and health. That means investing in regional food infrastructure; supporting local growers and suppliers; strengthening freight and logistics networks; ensuring culturally appropriate food access for First Nations communities; and embedding food security into health, education, and economic policy.

This isn’t just a rural issue; it’s a WA issue. And it affects us all, from the family in Fitzroy Crossing to the retiree in Rockingham.

In a time of rising costs and growing inequality, food security must be treated as a fundamental right, not a luxury. We’ve seen the warning signs. Now we need action.

Let’s build a WA food system that feeds everyone — from healthy households to nourished nomads.

Janine Freeman is the chair of Fair Food WA