Quote:


Even those who aren't on a tight budget would rarely spend $50 a kilo on lamb cutlets if they needed meat. Meat and vegetables generally are quite inexpensive at the moment and you can buy some nice cuts of beef at around $10 a kilo if you look for it.

Coles sells beef mince now at $5 a kilo if you're desperate.

Chicken wings are always around $2 a kilo and chicken breast is about $8 a kilo at the butcher.

Obviously it would be extremely difficult to live on the dole - but it's not necessary to spend much on food if you're careful about how you prepare it. Add lots of vegetables to any sort of meat and it can feed you for a few days.

There wouldn't be too many families living just on the dole. They get all sorts of allowances now which props it up considerably.

I don't care what you all say, you simply do not understand ...

you just cannot buy a bucket of KFC for dinner, McHappy meals for lunch and bacon and egg rolls for breakfast, for the whole family, every day, if you are unemployed or on a pension.

I don't care what you all say, you simply do not understand ...

you just cannot buy a bucket of KFC for dinner, McHappy meals for lunch and bacon and egg rolls for breakfast, for the whole family, every day, if you are unemployed or on a pension.

Kat wrote on Aug 16^th, 2013 at 4:19pm:



Oh OK so if they want to buy drugs instead of feed the kids you're fine with that?   

Lisa Jones wrote on Aug 16^th, 2013 at 3:36pm:



Why do some people persist with this idea that we should have the right to dictate how they spend their money.

I couldn't care less, it's their business, not ours.

Despite what some may think.

Plea for meat donations to feed demand

Date
    August 16, 2013


Food-rescue charities are calling on all butchers and supermarkets to donate their surplus products to help boost the dismal protein levels of Victorians who are simply too poor to eat meat.      

Groups that cook and redistribute food that would otherwise be wasted report they desperately need more meat to cater for low-income families living on nutritionally deficient diets.

FareShare, a food-relief agency that on Thursday revealed its new kitchens in Abbotsford, said a proliferation of ''working poor'' families seeking help this year had increased demand.    

''Many of the charities that are at the coalface are reporting that people have low-protein and fibre diets, and what we are trying to do is put as much protein and fibre into our meals as possible,'' chief executive officer Marcus Godinho said.


For meat, FareShare depends on the 100 Woolworths supermarkets that regularly donate up to 5000 kilograms of red meat and poultry each month - but it is not enough.    

''That sounds like a lot, and it is in absolute terms, but we need more,'' Mr Godinho said.

He said the agency relies largely on lentil dishes to help provide protein-rich food when the meat donations are low.

Foodbank Victoria boss David McNamara said food agencies had reported a 35 per cent increase in demand for food from the same time last year, fuelled predominantly by low-income families.      

He said changes to the government's single-parent payments had caused many families to seek help for the first time and that for many, meals involving meat were often the first to be taken off the menu.      

''The one discernible item in a family budget is food … so if you see lamb chops selling for between $40 and $50 a kilo, a working family on a tight budget can't afford that.''

According to figures from food relief agencies, about 370,000 Victorians will experience food insecurity this year - a term used to describe a lack of readily available, safe and nutritious food.      


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/plea-for-meat-donations-to-feed-demand-20130815-2rzk9.html#ixzz2c4dcbecv

greggerypeccary wrote on Aug 16^th, 2013 at 6:12pm:


government.  and why shouldn't they?