Food insecurity - or the uncertain access to sufficient, nutritious and safe foods - is a 'Wicked Problem' affecting one in three people worldwide.
Social supermarkets are slowly emerging in Australia as a different approach to food relief, offering affordable food access with social support services which provide both dignity and social inclusion, Flinders University researchers say.
In South Australia, for example, The Food Centre is a not-for-profit, open-access model that includes a supermarket (with some free items), a low-cost café, thift shop, community kitchen, volunteering opportunities, gardening workshops, and social supports such as no-interest loans.
Centres in Broken Hill providing "dignified" access to food, as well as social, educational and information services for social housing tenants and local residents - and a 100% Indigenous-owned café, gallery and supermarket in WA's Pilbara - are other examples of the movement towards inclusive, community-embedded food relief models.
Amid rising costs of living and global instability, food insecurity is no longer confined to lower-income countries - at least 13% of people in wealthy, food-producing nations like Australia, the UK and the US are now affected.
While many food relief organisations play a vital role in times of crisis, Flinders University researchers have found that most strategies are focused on short-term fixes. These approaches significantly outweigh more progressive models that go beyond food provision to support longer-term food security and pathways out of hardship.
The research, led by the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University, shows that while all food relief models provide vital support, those that restrict choice or rely solely on emergency provision risk entrenching dependency and stigma if they are not coupled with dignity, choice and wraparound support.
"Progressive food relief models, such as social supermarkets and affordable food initiatives, aim to provide not only choice and dignified access to affordable food, but also connection to wider social supports," says Dr Diana Eyers-White, lead author of the article published in Agriculture and Human Values.
"Models such as social supermarkets highlight the value of integrated approaches that combine food with social supports, services, empowerment opportunities and community connections," says Dr Eyers-White.
"By framing food relief as a strategically designed enterprise - shaped by resources, partnerships and community relationships and positioned within broader welfare and market systems - our research helps to explain what makes these organisations sustainable and effective over time."
The study analysed 43 food relief providers and grouped them into seven models: parcels, vouchers, meal services, pantries, mini-markets, social supermarkets and affordable food alternatives.
Each model was assessed against criteria including customer eligibility, choice, cost and delivery context, enabling a comparison of the strengths and reliance on external resources.
"This is about more than small improvements in existing charity models. It's about rethinking how food relief is designed, funded and connected to other services and moving towards approaches that are more effective, dignified and sustainable," says coauthor Dr Tahna Pettman, Flinders senior research fellow.
"Social supermarkets and other for-purpose food enterprises show particular promise, especially when they are embedded within community hubs that offer opportunities for connection, support and empowerment."
The research adds to emerging evidence that food relief systems are beginning to shift - with policymakers and funders increasingly focusing on impact, sustainability and outcomes, rather than simply volumes of food distributed.
"Transformation, not just reform, is required - moving beyond incremental improvements in charity-based models, and towards fundamentally rethinking how food relief is designed, resourced and integrated into social policy - to address systemic inequities and support inclusive, sustainable futures," says Dr Eyers-White.
The researchers say existing food relief models can also be strengthened through greater inclusion, improved choice and low-cost payment options, supporting a broader shift in practice and policy towards more effective, dignified and sustainable approaches, ultimately improving food security outcomes.
Senior author, Matthew Flinders Professor Svetlana Bogomolova, deputy director of the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders, says understanding how to leverage the strengths of different food relieve models is "key to achieving what matters most - better collaboration across the sector, reduced duplication and gaps, and smoother pathways for people out of food insecurity.".
The research - A typology of food assistance models, by Diana Eyers-White, Tahna Pettman, John Coveney, Jon Buckley, Ian Goodwin-Smith and Svetlana Bogomolova - has been published in Agriculture and Human Values. DOI: 10.1007/s10460-025-10828-8
Acknowledgements: The research is funded by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project grant, in partnership with the SA Department of Human Services, Preventive Health SA, Foodbank SA and NT, AnglicareSA and The Food Centre Inc.
