Food insecurity hits international students as the cost of living bites hard

If your child was studying overseas, would you want them to go hungry?

The cost of living crisis among international students is a national issue. Research estimates that 40% of students at Australian universities may be going without food, with the problem “worst among international students”.

We’re hearing more about “food insecurity”, which occurs when people lack regular and reliable social, economic and physical access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences, preventing them from leading a healthy and active life.

But the stigma attached to admitting you’re going without food has meant that the issue is often invisible.

Our new research provides a snapshot of international students’ perspectives and experiences, and how we can better-support them.

Read more: In 2022, 90% of young people had financial troubles, and 27% used ‘buy now, pay later’ services

In 2022, we interviewed 22 international students living in Melbourne and measured the severity of their food insecurity experiences using an internationally-recognised instrument. Additional survey data was collected from 64 international students.

Nine interview participants experienced high food security, two experienced marginal food security, while, concerningly, 11 experienced low food security.

Food insecurity is often related to limited time to source and cook food due to study and work commitments, having to opt for less-nutritious or culturally-appropriate foods, and struggling with limited knowledge of the city during the early months after arrival.

Other research points to a “lack of cheap subsidised food on many university campuses”.

As one 27-year-old respondent told us: “I don't choose what I want to eat. It's my wallet that chooses what I want to eat.”

Mobility is a limiting factor

International students rely on public transport and walking to get food. However, public transport can be costly, while walking to get groceries means only small amounts can be purchased each trip.

Students manage food insecurity by tightening their spending, accessing food relief, opting for cheaper, less-nutritious food alternatives, or sourcing support from friends and family.

While some international students rely on “seniors” within their cultural communities to find the food they need, not all students have these cultural connections, particularly when isolated or new in town.

When a crisis like COVID-19 or a cost-of-living crisis hits, many of these strategies stop working.

The flow-on effects of food insecurity

Food insecurity can impact students’ health and hinder their ability to study.

A 25-year-old international student told us that her “relationship with food has changed a lot [since coming to Australia], and it's in a really, really bad situation right now … I just eat for the sake of eating. I don't really enjoy eating nowadays … it's directly showing on my body and my energy levels … I feel I've lost the will to also put in so much effort to cook. And obviously, when you can't have the home food, you miss home even more.”

The problem is consequently more than dietary. As our study’s co-author and international student advocate Agrata Mukherjee suggests: “Food is more than a basic need, it is an emotion. Especially for international students who live far away from home, being able to eat familiar foods is like revisiting their memories – a connection to cultural roots.

“International students have the right to live a life of dignity without having to suffer due to food insecurity.”

Significant cultural and economic benefits

The cultural benefits of having international students at universities are well-understood. They enrich campus and learning life by bringing diversity to the benefit of all students.

The economic benefits are also significant. Prior to the pandemic, from 2013 the export income generated from international students studying in Australia had risen steadily to over $37 billion in 2019.

In Victoria, where the research was conducted, international education contributed an estimated 41,000 jobs to the state economy in 2021.

As future global leaders, international students also bring the world to Australia, and Australia to the world. The least we can do in return is to make sure they don’t go hungry.

There are three ways we can support international students – foster their connection with existing immigrant communities; assist recent arrivals; and provide better support in and beyond our campuses, including outside of teaching terms, such as food relief, financial support, employment help, vouchers, or scholarships.