Goal 2: Zero Hunger

The University of Wollongong (UOW) is committed to working towards the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its governance, teaching and learning, community engagement, partnerships and research. The following initiatives are by UOW staff and students working towards Goal 2: Zero Hunger.

Teaching, learning and research in numbers

Across our subjects, courses, research publications and partnerships, UOW staff and students continued working towards the goals in 2025.

_{*SciVal figures accessed July - October 2026}

4,635 students studying subjects about this goal

26.6% of publications related to this goal had international collaboration*

14.1 citations per publication*

29.8% publications in the Top 10% most cited*

Case studies for Goal 2

Taskforce launched to tackle food insecurity in the Illawarra Shoalhaven

With food insecurity rising across the region, UOW research has prompted the formation of a collaborative taskforce to ensure better access to healthy, sustainable and culturally appropriate food.

The Illawarra Shoalhaven Food Futures Taskforce was established in response to the ‘Let's Talk About Food’ survey, led by Professor Karen Charlton and Dr Katherine Kent from the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health. The survey found that a growing number of families in the region were skipping meals or struggling to afford nutritious food due to rising living costs.

‘For too long, the scale of food insecurity in our region has been underestimated,’ said Dr Kent. ‘This survey has given us local evidence and a clear mandate for action.’

The taskforce is made up of a coalition of UOW academics, community leaders, health professionals and local organisations, with an aim to strengthen local food production, improve distribution and access, and address systemic barriers through policy change.

This initiative is supporting:

Goal 2: Zero Hunger

Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

NEWS: New taskforce launched to tackle food insecurity in the Illawarra Shoalhaven
Pulse Pantry addresses student food insecurity

With 53% of UOW students experiencing food insecurity in 2024, Pulse Pantry continued to assist students facing financial hardship in 2025.

Launched as an ongoing initiative after an overwhelming response to COVID-19 pantry packs, the service operates on a points-based system where students receive 10 points weekly to claim food or hygiene items as required.

Pulse Pantry is stocked through UOW's Village Grocer and donation partners including Aspire Events, Venues and Catering, Gillette, Kotex, OzHarvest and Share the Dignity. The pantry also has a sustainability focus with around 90% of its items suitable for a vegan diet, reducing the need for cold storage and its associated emissions.

Run by student volunteers, the initiative represents a collaborative approach to addressing student food insecurity and food waste in an era of rising living costs.

This initiative is supporting:

Goal 2: Zero Hunger

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Support UOW students by donating or volunteering with Pulse Pantry
First Bite – Get it Right program gets childhood nutrition back on track

Led by UOW’s world-leading children’s nutrition experts, Professor Bridget Kelly, Dr Megan Hammersley, and PhD student, Sharon Duncan, First Bite – Get it Right is a nutrition program conducted in partnership with UOW researchers and the Illawarra Shoalhaven and Western Sydney Local Health Districts.

The primary aim of the program is to increase preschool children's intake of vegetables. The eight-week program used multiple strategies, including training for educators, a daily vegetable break, vegetable-related hands-on learning curricula, and information and resources for parents.

Researchers measured changes in children's vegetable intake using a Veggie Meter, a device that measures skin carotenoid levels, which reflect fruit and vegetable consumption. The results showed that children who received the intervention had an increase in carotenoid levels compared to those who didn't receive the intervention, especially in centres that followed the program closely.

With only two per cent of Australian children aged four to eight years meeting the recommended daily vegetable intake, this intervention shows strong potential to drive meaningful improvements in early childhood nutrition and establish healthy eating patterns for life.

This initiative is supporting:

Goal 2: Zero Hunger

Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing

Explore our work supporting early childhood health

Other initiatives

Healthy Cities Illawarra

UOW’s partnership with Healthy Cities Illawarra, aims to address the underlying social, economic and environmental causes of health inequity. Healthy Cities Illawarra is a local organisation working to create healthy environments and enable healthy choices for the people of the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. Together, we are committed to taking action to prevent and control diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, asthma, dementia, depression and anxiety.

Join the movement for a healthier Illawarra and Shoalhaven!

Latest news for Goal 2

Health and Medicine

4 November 2025

Food insecurity affects 1 in 3 regional people – and it’s worse for those with poor mental health

In regional NSW, 1 in 3 people experienced food insecurity in the past year. The rate was double for those who were socially isolated or had a mental illness.

Community, Research

3 November 2025

Sustainability report shows real-world impact on climate, equity and education

From Antarctica to India, UOW research and partnerships are driving global progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Health and Medicine

8 September 2025

Explore UOW's impact and commitment to each of the SDGs

No Poverty

Zero Hunger

Good Health and Well-Being

Quality Education

Gender Equality

Clean Water and Sanitation

Affordable and Clean Energy

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Reduced Inequalities

Sustainable Cities and Communities

Responsible Consumption and Production

Climate Action

Life Below Water

Life on Land

Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Partnerships for the Goals

Contact us

Share your story with us and help shape UOW’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals.

sdgs-uow@uow.edu.au

Submit your initiative

Teaching, learning and research in numbers

Case studies for Goal 2

Taskforce launched to tackle food insecurity in the Illawarra Shoalhaven

Pulse Pantry addresses student food insecurity

First Bite – Get it Right program gets childhood nutrition back on track

Other initiatives

Latest news for Goal 2

Food insecurity affects 1 in 3 regional people – and it’s worse for those with poor mental health

Sustainability report shows real-world impact on climate, equity and education

1 in 8 households don’t have the money to buy enough food

Sprouting solutions

Pootopia: the science, art and economics of human manure

Feeding the future

Explore UOW's impact and commitment to each of the SDGs

Contact us