Abstract

High income countries are often described as being food secure and yet sub-populations are still unable to secure sufficient amounts of food necessary to lead a healthy life. Household and community food insecurity is perceived to be an individual issue. Food literacy has emerged as a convenient way of packaging knowledge and skills that individuals need in order to ensure a diet of sufficient quality and quantity. A focus on such strategies place the responsibility for healthy eating on the individual, further marginalising disadvantaged groups and failing to acknowledge the profound impact of social and environmental determinants on food security, and the well-established impacts these have on the food supply. This paper will explore hidden hunger in the Australian context and the complex nexus between food literacy and food security along a continuum of disadvantage. It will highlight the potential benefits and limitations of the incorporation of food literacy approaches to address food insecurity at community and household levels.