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Demand for food aid outstrips supply

More than 16,000 West Australians, almost half of them children, are being turned away from charities each month because of a severe shortage of food supplies.

A Foodbank report to be released today found the WA branch had doubled its supplies to almost 11,000 meals a day but welfare agencies were reporting shortfalls.

The End Hunger in Australia Report surveyed charities and community groups that distribute Foodbank WA's supplies and found they needed 47 per cent more to keep up with demand.

Seventy per cent of agencies reported not having enough food after a 9 per cent increase in the number of people seeking help.

Of the 43,000 people helped each month, 53 per cent were not receiving all the food they required.

Foodbank Australia chairman Enzo Allara said the organisation was looking at other methods, such as arranging the manufacture of staple foods and partnering with farmers, to keep up with demand.

"Our traditional method of collecting surplus food from manufacturers and retailers simply is no longer ample to meet the growing demand, so we're adopting new solutions," he said. "The demand is increasing significantly faster than our supply."

Foodbank WA distributes food to more than 1200 schools, charities and community groups.

Foodbank WA chief executive Greg Hebble said growing numbers of West Australians were struggling, with low-income families accounting for the majority of assistance requests.

"We don't have enough food and we need to seriously do something about it," he said.

Foodbank is calling for more funding and a national co-ordinated policy to address food insecurity, which WA chairman Peter Mansell said was linked to depression, family breakdowns and health issues.

Foodbank volunteer Theresa Sutton is a full-time carer for her two grandchildren, aged 10 and 12, and is able to shop at Foodbank as a recipient of Wanslea Grandcare support.

"Without Foodbank and Wanslea, I don't know where I would be. We wouldn't be able to eat. I'm only on the disability support pension, which doesn't go very far," she said.