One in five Australians say they ran out of food at least once in the past year and were unable to buy more, according to a new report, with food charities pointing to an alarming 22 per cent spike in people seeking emergency food supplies.

Food charity Foodbank says the drought, rising costs of living and the low level of Newstart are among factors fuelling the increase in people seeking help. The charity is calling on the Morrison government to take urgent action to provide more assistance to hungry Australians.

Foodbank Australia chief executive Brianna Casey said a surprising number of Australians were struggling to feed themselves adequately and nutritiously.

A new report from Foodbank has found about a fifth of Australians were unable to buy the food they need at last once in the past year. Credit:Glenn Hunt

"We tend to be the canary in the coal mine. We know if a family is struggling behind closed doors," she said. "It's a problem that is prolific and it's just not being spoken about."