Half of Tasmanian households experienced some degree of food insecurity in 2022, with several charities recording unprecedented demand for free meals.
A Senate inquiry examining cost of living pressures in Australia on Monday held a public hearing in Hobart.
A 2022 report by the University of Tasmania found 50 per cent of homes had suffered some degree of food insecurity in the previous month, with 20 per cent experiencing "severe" insecurity.
"(Severe) entails missing meals, reducing food intake or in extreme cases going without food for days," senior economics and finance lecturer Mala Raghavan said.
"This is quite acute compared to other states."
Anglicare Tasmania's Mary Bennett said people from the state's lowest socio-economic demographic were having to decide between food and heating.
"We’re hearing anecdotally … people are faced with, when they talk about what fuel they are going to buy, they are choosing between food and paying the heating bill," she said.
"In Tasmania where our winters are colder, that’s a much more serious issue."
Ms Bennett said there were barely any rentals, or rooms in rental houses, priced within the range of someone on income support.
"It’s either living rough or overcrowding. We’re seeing a lot of overcrowding … just cramming more people into housing," she said.
Foodbank Tasmania chair Stuart Clutterbuck said over the past nine months there had been an average increase of 21 per cent in people seeking help on the organisation's website.
He said the charity provided 1.2 million meals last year.
"We just do not have enough food and groceries to meet demand," he said.
"We have seen Tasmanians in need contacting Foodbank or presenting at our industrial site in Derwent Park (Hobart), which is virtually unheard of."
Mr Clutterbuck and St Vincent de Paul Society Tasmania CEO Heather Kent said demand for meal services was at an unprecedented level.
"Two nights I'm there (in Launceston) when the van comes back in after doing its soup run," Ms Kent said.
"Typically now, where it used to be seeing 25 to 30 folk ... we’re looking at numbers that are more around 40-50, often in excess.
"Many of the folk who arrive are, if not fully employed, at least partially employed."
The inquiry, tasked with investigating cost-of-living pressures and government responses, is expected to finalise a report by November.
