title: Still serving hot soup? Two hundred years of a charitable food sector in Australia: a narrative review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite the importance of the charitable food sector for a proportion of the Australian population, there is uncertainty about its present and future contributions to wellbeing. This paper describes its nature and examines its scope for improving health and food security.
  
  
  METHODS
  The review, using systematic methods for public health research, identified peer-reviewed and grey literature relevant to Australian charitable food programs (2002 to 2012).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy publications met the criteria and informed this paper. The sector includes food banks, more than 3,000 community agencies and 800 school breakfast programs. It provides food for up to two million people annually. The scope extends beyond emergency food relief and includes case management, advocacy and other support. Weaknesses include a food supply that is sub-optimal, resource limitations and lack of evidence to evaluate or support their work towards food security.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sector supports people experiencing disadvantage and involves multiple organisations, working in a variety of settings, to provide food for up to 8% of the population. The limits on the sector's capacity to address food insecurity by itself must be acknowledged so that civil society, government and the food industry can support sufficient, nutritious and affordable food for all.
authors.affiliation: School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Victoria.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lindberg
authors.affiliation: The CO-OPS Collaboration, WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin Population Health SRC, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Victoria.
authors.forename: Jillian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Whelan
authors.affiliation: School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Victoria.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.affiliation: Deakin Population Health SRC, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Victoria.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, ACT.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friel
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002608:Charities; D005502:Food; D063105:Food Assistance; D005523:Food Supply; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D012111:Residence Characteristics
keywords: charitable food sector; emergency food relief; food insecurity; food security