Australia has long considered itself a food secure nation, but recent events have led to questions about the validity of this assumption. The outbreak of COVID-19 led to empty supermarket shelves. Illness, lockdowns and border closures led to labour shortages along the supply chain. The dislocation of international trade led to periodic shortages of key inputs, such as the infamous AdBlue shortage.

Other events have drawn out other issues. Conflict in Ukraine has created shortages of grain that have driven up prices globally. Fuel and energy prices have jumped. This has led to sustained food price inflation.

The purpose of this report is to identify and address some of these challenges and examine ways to strengthen and safeguard Australia’s food security. It does so by focusing on several key areas:

• Food production, consumption and trade;
• Access to key production inputs and their impact on production costs;
• The food supply chain and its vulnerabilities, including managing food waste;
• The issues of climate change and biosecurity; and
• Addressing food insecurity.

The report also examines the need for a national food security strategy or plan.