China is obsessed with food security. You might not realize just how obsessed: stockpiling rapidly, by the end of the year China – with its 20% of the world's population – is projected to have accumulated and stashed away some 65% of the world's corn and 53% of the world's wheat.
Grain output has been above 650 million tonnes for seven solid years. The per capita food supply is well above the international standard of 400 kg. The country has achieved basic self-sufficiency in grain and absolute security in staple food.
China has been increasingly known in recent years for its expanding share of global grain stocks, intended for food security. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, China will have 65% of the world's corn by next year, consistent with recent averages, but a record 53% of the world's wheat will be held there.
China spent $98.1 billion importing food (beverages are not included) in 2020, up 4.6 times from a decade earlier, according to the General Administration of Customs of China. In the January-September period of 2021, China imported more food than it had since at least 2016, which is as far back as comparable data goes.
Supply-chain bottlenecks, labor shortages, bad weather and a surge in consumer demand are among the factors responsible for the spike. So, too, is a lesser-known phenomenon: China is hoarding key commodities.
The backbone of China's food production
As the backbone of China's food security, the 250 million smallholders produced about 80% of food in China. Yet they are among the most vulnerable groups, bearing the brunt of the food crisis due to their modest income and limited access to technology and financial support.
2022: a year of unprecedented hunger
The world is facing a food crisis of unprecedented proportions, the largest in modern history. Millions are at risk of worsening hunger unless action is taken now to respond at scale to the drivers of this crisis: conflict, climate shocks and the threat of global recession.
Rapid industrialisation and modernisation in China are having profound effects on food supply and food safety. In this Review, we identified important factors limiting agricultural production in China, including conversion of agricultural land to other uses, freshwater deficits, and soil quality issues.
The demand for ruminant meat and dairy products is projected to almost double by 2050. Pork and poultry dominate the demand for animal products but are expected to level off and begin declining again after 2040 because of saturated appetites and China's projected population decrease.
Causes of Food Waste in China
It is part of Chinese culture that when eating out, hosts traditionally order more food rather than less to show hospitality to their guests. The more food left uneaten, the more hospitable the host seems.
The Chinese government's own massive food shopping spree hasn't slowed either, resulting in the country amassing huge stockpiles of corn, rice, and wheat that many experts say is causing the prices of agricultural goods to skyrocket around the globe.
That's why having an emergency preparedness stockpile is important. All Americans should have at least a three-day supply of food and water stored in their homes, with at least one gallon of water per person per day. If you have the space, experts recommend a week's supply of food and water.
Chinese meals tend to be rather low in protein. They are also low in fiber, which seems to decrease hunger. Fiber is the indigestible component of grains, vegetables and fruits and fills the stomach before it is eliminated, and a full stomach decreases the release of ghrelin.
These countries are not assigned individual ranks, but rather are collectively ranked 1–17 out of the 121 countries with sufficient data to calculate 2022 GHI scores. Differences between their scores are minimal. With a score under 5, China has a level of hunger that is low.
China has about one-fifth of the world's population to feed, but only about 7 per cent of its arable land. Sixteen years ago, Beijing set a “red line” to reserve at least 120 million hectares of arable land for agriculture. But industrialisation and urbanisation has accelerated the loss of agricultural land since then.
Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen are “hunger hotspots” facing catastrophic conditions, according to the latest report by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
In 2021, food imports for China was 8.1 %.
China's COVID-19 policies are pushing companies to diversify supply chains away from the country. They had already begun moving out over geopolitical tensions and tariffs from the Trump era. India, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Bangladesh are stepping up to replace the world's factory.
Even the future of Australia's mighty $49 billion agricultural sector is looking shaky. Thanks to climate change, production of major export commodities such as wheat, beef, dairy and sugar will fall as much as 19 per cent by 2050, the Climate Group's report found.
Prepping is the only way to protect yourself from shortages in 2022, as well as preparing for inflation. With products already in short supply, January is the time to start stocking up before the shelves are empty.
Eggs and Meat
According to Business Insider, nearly half of Americans in a survey reported seeing a shortage of meat and eggs in the beginning of 2022.