South West Healthcare's health promotion team surveyed 122 people and targeted those at risk of food insecurity.

It found 27 per cent of respondents had run out of food, while 34 per cent were worried they would run out of food before having access to money to buy more.

This alarming trend was also identified in the 2020 Victorian Population Health Survey, which revealed 6.6 per cent of residents in the Warrnambool City Council boundaries reported they had run out of money to buy food in the past 12 months.

That was an increase from 4.2 per cent in 2014.

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South West Healthcare health promotion officer Sadha Spence, the author of the report, said the reasons people were experiencing food insecurity included financial stress, housing instability - which limits the ability to store food and utensils or equipment - and lack of access to transport to purchase fresh produce.

"We consistently heard that the rising cost of living and low income are the biggest reasons that people can't eat the foods they want," she said.

Ms Spence said it was hoped the community would band together to explore ways to make food more affordable and accessible to vulnerable community members.

"People often think that what we eat is simply a choice, but our report shows that what we are able to eat is hugely impacted by how much money we earn, our upbringing, where we live and whether or not we can access things like a car," she said.

"Now that we better understand the community's needs it would be amazing to see the community rally together to plan more equitable food system strategies for our region, like those that exist in Ballarat and Geelong, so that everyone can enjoy delicious healthy food and its benefits."

Survey respondents said their strategies to address the issue of food instability included eating less meat, eating smaller meals and eating low-cost, pre-packaged food.

South West Healthcare healthy communities co-ordinator Caitlyn Hoggan said food insecurity impacted on the physical, mental and social health of adults and children.

The report found the cost of food insecurity was significant, with many residents having to rely on emergency relief services like Warrnambool and District Food Share, which was experiencing unprecedented demand.

"This is a really important issue, we know that consuming a healthy diet is a protective factor in preventing chronic disease and poor dietary intake is one of the biggest causes of ill health in Australia," Ms Hoggan said.

She said Warrnambool had a good foundation it could build on to address the issue, such as the community garden, local food producers and food-related charities.

"What doesn't exist is a coordinated strategy to ensure that each of these initiatives are able to reach their potential or work together to help a growing need in the community - a strategy that gives each of these groups increased support and promotion," she said.

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