Food Fairness Illawarra

Overview

Nearly 2 million households (19%) experienced severe food insecurity in 2023 in Australia. Meanwhile, we waste around 7.6 million tonnes of food and throw away around 1.9 million tonnes of packaging every year, and are responsible for a whopping 19% of food-related emissions globally from food transport alone.

Founded in 2005 after the discussion of food security during Anti-Poverty Week, Food Fairness Illawarra is a community coalition of like-minded organisations and individuals with a vision to make healthy and sustainable food affordable and accessible for all in the Illawarra region. Our coordination team has representatives from Healthy Cities Australia (our governing parent organization), the University of Wollongong, the Health Promotion Service at Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Wollongong City Council and Shellharbour City Council.

Aim

By working collectively, we strive to achieve impactful outcomes and drive positive change, ultimately creating an equitable, sustainable and local food system in our region.

What is a fair food system?

To us, fair food is food that is good for the environment, good for the people who eat it, good for the people who grow it and good for the community.

A fair food system is one where all people have consistent access to safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food that meets their dietary needs without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. It acknowledges food as a basic human right, essential for health and wellbeing, and social connection. In the face of rising living costs, climate impacts, and increasing demand for food relief, a fair food system also must prioritise affordability and resilience. By reducing food waste, supporting sustainable farming, and building local food networks, we can create a more inclusive food environment where ultra-processed foods don’t dominate, and everyone can access and afford fresh, healthy options.

Objectives

• Connect and Collaborate – Bring together and support local collaboration between food system stakeholders including local producers, providers, growers, consumers, food aid providers, community groups, businesses, advocates, educators, councils and non-government organisations.
• Advocate – Highlight local issues and lobby for policy and planning development that contributes to a fair food system.
• Empower – Provide the tools and highlight opportunities to participate in building a fair food system.
• Educate – Inform and enable knowledge sharing to drive the fair food conversation across all levels of society.
• Research – Contribute to and utilise the evidence base to build a fair food system.
• Govern – Maintain a coordinated, well-structured coalition to enable collective action.

How it works

There are so many aspects to the work that Food Fairness Illawarra does, and we believe that whoever you are and whatever your experience, we all have the power to help build a fair food system. We can break our overarching vision down into three main categories of action:

• Decreasing food waste ending up in landfill
• Increasing food security by assisting food relief efforts
• Championing and advocating for the creation of local, sustainable food systems

Testimonial

“As a small not-for-profit, we focus on information and referral. In response to food insecurity, we’ve developed initiatives… guided by Food Fairness Illawarra, refining efforts and supporting grassroots solutions. ”

Ash Castro, Warrawong Residents Forum