The global epidemic is continuing to spread, and new virus variants bring greater risk of transmission. In November 2021, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food price index rose for the fourth consecutive month, continuing to be at a 10-year high.
Global food security is facing severe challenges. Natural disasters, social and political economy are factors that affect global food security.
Natural disasters and global-scale climate change have led to more frequent extreme weather such as floods, droughts, and high temperatures, which have changed the distribution of food production, quality, and pests and diseases, making global food security risks continue to rise.
The outbreak has also caused labor shortages, disrupted supply chains, and some countries have restricted food exports.
China's food system has withstood a major test under severe circumstances.
The Global Food Crisis Report 2021 released by the Global Network for Response to Food Crises (GNAFC) in May this year mentioned that since 2017, the problem of global food insecurity has continued to increase.
In 2020, 55 countries around the world fell into food insecurity, with about 20 million more people affected than in 2019. However, under this severe situation, China's grain output has reached a new high, remaining above 1.3 trillion catties for seven consecutive years.
The Chinese government has implemented countermeasures to ensure food safety issues.
First, promote sustainable transformation of food systems. For example, a farmland protection policy has been adopted to restore polluted farmland and continuously improve the quality of farmland.
Second, in response to the enhancement of non-food attributes of food dominated by developed countries, the Chinese government has increased its emphasis on food security.
