The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented stresses on food supply chains, with bottlenecks in farm labour, processing, transport and logistics, as well as momentous shifts in demand. Most of these disruptions are a result of policies adopted to contain the spread of the virus. Food supply chains have demonstrated a remarkable resilience in the face of these stresses. Grocery store shelves have been replenished over time, as stockpiling behaviour disappeared and as supply chains responded to increased demand. Long lines at borders shrank quickly in response to policies to alleviate unnecessary restrictions. While the impacts of COVID-19 are still unfolding, experience so far shows the importance of an open and predictable international trade environment to ensure food can move to where it is needed. The biggest risk for food security is not with food availability but with consumers’ access to food: safety nets are essential to avoid an increase in hunger and food insecurity.

While food systems have shown remarkable resilience and many problems have been resolved, some bottlenecks remain and require attention from policy makers. A first bottleneck relates to the availability of inputs for farming, notably labour for harvesting fruits and vegetables. A second relates to plant shutdowns in the food processing sector, notably in meat processing. A third relates to the ongoing disruption of air freight, which affects high-value perishable products, again notably fruits and vegetables. What these bottlenecks have in common is that they are difficult to overcome in the short run. As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads in Latin America, home to important global suppliers, new risks to global food supply chains may also be emerging.

However, the biggest risk for food security is not with food availability but with consumers’ access to food. As lockdown measures and other COVID-19-related disruptions lead to a global recession, millions are losing their livelihoods or experiencing a severe drop in their incomes. Social safety nets and food assistance programs are thus essential to avoid an increase in hunger and food insecurity.