A decision by the state State Government to cease the funding allocation for the regional delivery of chilled products at the end of June 2024 has left some regional Foodshare organisations high and dry without chilled food products.
State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell spoke in parliament to ask the Minister for Carers and Volunteers to provide additional funding directly to rural and regional Foodshares to enable them to continue sourcing chilled products.
Foodshare organisations provide an incredibly valuable service to Victorians by making food that might otherwise go to waste available to families facing financial stress.
Moira FoodShare, which has outlets in Cobram and Yarrawonga, recently received a letter from Food Bank saying the Victorian government has ceased the chilled funding allocation for the regional delivery of chilled products, effective end of June 2024.
As a result, Food Bank will no longer deliver critical foods like milk, yoghurt, cheese, fresh juice, and other chilled products to regional and rural Foodshare organisations.
Foodshares in larger regional cities can sometimes access limited chilled products from large supermarkets, but in smaller towns this option is often not available.
Many of these products are made locally, and Foodshares have tried to source chilled products directly from local food processors, but food seconds are donated centrally to Food Bank. This means some food produced in the area is not available to local Foodshares.
Dairy products like milk, yoghurt and cheese are important sources of calcium for children to grow up with strong and healthy bones, but families who face financial distress will often first cut back on more expensive grocery items like dairy.
It is therefore highly important that food relief services are able to meet this critical nutritional need in the diets of children by supplying chilled foods like milk and yoghurt.
But due to the State Government’s funding cut, Foodshares in regional Victoria will no longer be supplied with the chilled products that they used to receive, and will now struggle to make dairy foods available to the children and families that they assist.
“Northern Victoria is the food bowl of our state and the nation, and yet Foodshares in rural towns are unable to get their hands on food rescued from local producers because Labor ceased funding for Food Bank to deliver chilled food to regional areas,” said Ms Lovell.
“Chilled dairy foods like milk, yoghurt and cheese are important for the diet of families that Foodshare assists. I urge the Minister to make funds directly available to regional Foodshares to cover the cost of collecting, storing and transporting chilled food that needs to be kept cold.”
